Some Thoughts on Deepening Economic Diplomacy

Since the founding of the People＇s Republic of China, the nation has paid a great deal of attention to economic diplomacy. In particular, since the launch of the reform and opening-up policy and its accession to the World Trade Organization, China has made great achievements in economic diplomacy, which has grown and improved in terms of patterns, objectives and contents. In the 21st century, globalization offers both opportunities and challenges, and international economic cooperation and competition have played an important role in foreign relations. Economic diplomacy has been increasingly important in terms of diplomacy. As we encounter new problems and face new challenges, we urgently require new breakthroughs in economic diplomacy.     

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.     

Cultural Diplomacy and a Harmonious World

The cultural diplomacy of China today has entered into a period of rapid development. Yet there is still much room for improvement in promoting China＇s new diplomatic thinking. In step with China＇s growing economy and increased weight in international affairs, the Chinese government has changed its diplomatic strategy to ＂building a harmonious world.＂ To make this concept more attractive and acceptable to other countries and peoples, China should expand its soft power resources, strengthen international cultural exchanges to draw on the fine achievements of foreign cultures, enhance the influence of Chinese culture worldwide, exploit new channels for international cultural exchanges, develop its cultural industry, and improve its comprehensive power.     

Editor＇s Note

China has attached great importance in handling relations in neighborhood as the work of diplomacy with its neighbors is incredibly heavy, since the founding of the People＇s Republic of China. Zheng Ruixiang, Senior Research Fellow at China Institute of International Studies, made an account of the great achievements of China＇s diplomacy in neighborhood in his article Creating a Peaceful and Stable Neighboring Environment.     

National Objectives vs. Strategic Choices:——Lessons from Chinese Diplomacy

Modernization, national reunification, social reform and revival as a great power -- these four broad objectives represent China＇s core interests. They have been the defining strategic factors at work behind the dynamics of Chinese diplomacy since 1949. These factors have undergone periods of ＂leaning to one side＂ （toward Moscow） in the early years, ＂opposing two hegemonic powers＂ in the late 1950s, forging ＂one battle line＂ of a global anti-Soviet united front in the 1970s and pursuing a ＂multidimensional＂ diplomacy up to the present. Both positive and negative historical experience of the 60-odd years offers us much food for thought.     

Value and Politics of China and Russia

The 17th National Congress stressed that the Party must keep to the path of political development under socialism with Chinese characteristics. Since the introduction of the reform and opening up policy, China＇s economy has developed quickly, supplementing its political construction. Progress in the economy and political development have raised China＇s confidence and made the Chinese system more attractive to the rest of the world. Though China＇s political development has been achieved under the correct democratic development viewpoint, difficulties may yet arise, and China may need to look outside to other political achievements; importantly, China has the confidence and determination to make its political development harmonious, orderly and effective.     

Impact of the Chinese Model in Africa

The Chinese model has a fairly big influence in Africa. Ever since reform and opening-up, China has been focusing on the central task of economic construction, which brought rapid economic growth, strengthening comprehensive national power, improving lives of the people and extending international influence. The success of the Chinese model has aroused much interest in the world, especially Africa, and produced positive effects. It is the outcome of a combination of several factors, such as the attraction of China＇s development, the impetus produced by that development and the appeal of China＇s friendly policies. Nevertheless, China is not going to sell its model and ultimately Africa has to carve out its own way of development.     

China's New Neighboring Diplomacy

China＇s new thinking about neighboring diplomacy in Asia since the end of Cold War can be analyzed theoretically from angle of international institutions. China utilizes institutionalism with great flexibility in four sub-regions-Central Asia, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia, where institutional models-dominant participation, deep participation, active participation and moderate participation models have been adopted. In the four sub-regions in Asia, China has handled the presence of U.S interests well and responded reasonably to the United States＇ Asian diplomacy. China and the United States have therefore achieved a compatible coexistence in Asia. Compatibility and coexistence between China and the United States in Asia are the fundamental reasons that China has made progress in this new stage, and are the essence of the new thinking in China＇s neighboring diplomacy.     

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.     

Brilliant Achievements and Great Innovation——China＇s Diplomatic Work in the 30 Years of Reform and Opening Up

Over the past thirty years of reform and opening up, China＇s diplomatic work achievements that has borne rich fruits and made great attract worldwide attention. These are the decades in which China has been advancing from closed and semi-closed state to all-round opening up, and China＇s relationship with the world has undergone historical changes;     

China''s Military Diplomacy

Since the end of the Cold War, China＇s military diplomacy has displayed an omni-directional and multi-level form, and with an increasing transparency which has increased trust and reduced doubt. China has enhanced its conventional military functions and strengthened its military soft power. This has helped China develop into a responsible state on the world stage. Through military exchanges with other countries, the Chinese military has gradually strengthened its ability to undertake a variety of tasks. The Chinese military has to make greater efforts to counter the perception of a ＂China threat.＂ There is also a need to establish a system of military spokesmen and to develop a theory of military diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.     

Editor＇s Note：

Since China started reform and opening-up later in 1978, China＇s diplomatic work in the 30 Years has borne rich fruits and made great achievements that attract worldwide attention. Liu Huaqiu, former Minister of the Foreign Affairs Office of the State Council, contributed to this issue a paper entitled Brilliant Achievements and Great Innovationn——China＇s Diplomatic Work in the 30 Years of Reform and Opening Up, offering his views on it.     

The Contributions of International Exchange and Cooperation to the Human Rights Studies in China

Since the foundation of the People＇s Republic of China in 1949, the human rights situation in China has changed dramatically. Especially in the past three decades, along with the reform and opening-up and the remarkable political, economic, legal, social and cultural developments, the human rights cause in China has also made great achievements. In the development of human rights cause,     

Thirty Years of Tremendous Changes in the PLA

At the beginning of the reform and opening-up movement, national defence and military construction were subordinated to economic development. With the strengthening of China＇s economic power, the national strategy has changed to coordinating national defence and military construction with economic development. The PLA＇s role has expanded from resisting foreign aggression and safeguarding internal security and stability to maintaining world peace and promoting shared development. With China playing an increasingly important role on the world stage, the PLA now vigorously participates in activities aimed at regional and global peace and stability.     

China's Grand Strategy Seen from the Report to the CPC 18th National Congress

Clash of Opinions
Opinions vary over the question： ＂Does Beijing have a strategy. Both affirmative and negative answers have been heard. Witness the arguments for and against. The pros point to Mao Zedong＇s Ping-Pong diplomacy that shook the world by moving a big ball with a small one; Deng Xiaoping＇s Theory on reform and opening up, as well as his Three-Stage Development Strategy; and China＇s adherence to the path of peaceful development. Any one of these can be regarded as a grand strategy. On the con side, however, comes this sarcastic retort.＇ Just look at how the Middle Kingdom is kept constantly on the run responding to emergencies in foreign affairs without any internal coordination to speak of or any systemic approach to turn to. Is this not an eloquent testimony to the lack of a grand strategy？ Echoing this view, the former Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, in his recent article,     

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 Thinking＂ in Japan＇s Diplomacy--On the New Fukuda Doctrine

In September 2008, Yasuo Fukuda resigned after serving for a year as prime minister, and then Taro Aso formed a new cabinet. Due to the boycott of the opposition parties in the Diet, which wielded the majority, the Fukuda cabinet had achieved little in terms of internal affair. In foreign affairs, however, it left a deep impression by improving relations with China and advancing the New Fukuda Doctrine. As for the Aso cabinet, people were once worried that troubles might erupt in China-Japan relations given Aso＇s past stand. But since taking office as prime minister, Aso has kept a positive attitude toward promoting China-Japan relations and Asian diplomacy. Then what are the new considerations of Japan in its Asian diplomacy and Japan-China relations？ What position do China-Japan relations occupy in Japan＇s Asian diplomacy？ What are the tendencies of Japan＇s Asian diplomacy and its China policy？ All these issues warrant in-depth probing.     

Reflections on New China＇s Diplomacy in the Past 60 Years

On October 1, 1949, the People＇s Republic of China was found-ed, thus opening up a new era in the historical development of the Chinese nation and initiating the glorious and spectacular historic course of New China＇s diplomacy. In the past 60 years, the theory and practice of China＇s diplomacy, transcending the state-centered perspective and the Western traditional diplomatic concepts of ＂equilibrium＂, ＂power＂, ＂containment＂,＂interference＂, ＂alliance＂, ＂geopolitics＂ and ＂sphere of influence＂, have adhered to the scientific spirit, grasped the trends of the times and embodied the common aspirations of mankind.     

Scientific Outlook on Development and China＇s Foreign Policy

More than half a century has passed since the founding of the People＇s Republic of China. There have been successes as well as failures in China＇s policies and practices at home and abroad. The failures are stepping stones for success; lessons drawn from errors lead to truth. Chinese leader Hu Jintao recently spoke about ＂Scientific Outlook on Development, ＂＇ a summary of past history and an important guiding principle for China＇s economic and social development both now and in future. The authors believe that this is a major development in China＇s strategic thinking following Deng Xiaoping＇s ＂Reform and Opening Up＂ and Jiang Zemin＇s ＂Three Representatives＂ and that it should be upheld and applied to foreign policy decision making.     

Persisting in the Strategy of ＂Keeping a Low Profile＂ and Enhancing the Awareness of ＂Trying to Do Something＂

Since reform and opening up and in recent years in particular,China＇s overall national strength has been growing noticeably. The speed of China＇s development has attracted worldwide attention. Its aggregate national strength is already among the top few in the world with a momentum of continuous growing. In 2009, under severe impacts and influence of the financial crisis,