DIPLOMACY WITH NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES – AMITY, SINCERITY, MUTUAL BENEFIT, AND INCLUSIVENESS

DIPLOMACY WITH NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES – AMITY, SINCERITY, MUTUAL BENEFIT, AND INCLUSIVENESS*

October 24, 2013

Good diplomacy with neighboring countries is a requirement for realizing the Two Centenary Goals, and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. We need to work harder to promote our diplomacy with neighboring countries, strive for a sound regional environment for our development, employ our own development for the benefit of neighboring countries, and achieve common development with them.

Following the founding of the PRC in 1949, the Party’s first generation of central collective leadership with Mao Zedong at its core, the second generation with Deng Xiaoping at its core, the third generation with Jiang Zemin at its core, and the CPC Central Committee with Hu Jintao as general secretary, all attached high importance to diplomacy with neighboring countries. They developed important strategic ideas and guiding policies, created a sound environment, and laid a solid foundation for future diplomatic work. After the 18th National Congress in 2012, committed to ensuring continuity and stability in China’s foreign policy, the CPC Central Committee defined, planned, and carried out a series of major diplomatic initiatives, paying particular attention to neighboring countries which are important to our development and diplomatic strategy. 

Regions around our borders are strategically significant to our country in terms of geography, the environment, and relationships. When dealing with neighboring countries and related issues, we need a multidimensional perspective that extends beyond the immediate confines of time and space. Reviewing the situation, we can see that great changes have taken place in the general environment and in relationships with our neighbors. Our economic and trade ties with neighboring countries are closer, with unprecedented levels of exchange. Current circumstances demand that we keep pace with the times and be ever more active in formulating diplomatic strategies and undertaking diplomatic work with our neighbors.

China and its neighbors are full of vigor and vitality, and show obvious strengths in development and high growth potential. The region is stable on the whole, and most of our neighbors maintain an amicable relationship geared towards mutual benefit and cooperation with China. We must appreciate the situation to the full, devise appropriate strategies, and plan carefully, to perform better in our diplomatic exchanges with our neighbors.

China’s diplomacy in this region is driven by and must serve the Two Centenary Goals and our national rejuvenation. To achieve these strategic aims, we must create and cement friendly relations and further mutually beneficial cooperation with neighboring countries, maintain and make the best use of the strategic opportunities we now enjoy, and safeguard China’s state sovereignty, national security, and development interests. Together we must strive to build more amicable political relationships and closer economic ties, to further security cooperation and to encourage more cultural and people-to-people exchanges with neighboring countries.

China’s basic policy of diplomacy with neighboring countries is to treat them as friends and partners, to foster an amicable, secure and prosperous neighboring environment. This policy is characterized by amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness. Amity is a consistent principle of China’s diplomacy with its neighbors. In adherence to this principle, we need to help our neighbors in times of crisis, treat them as equals, visit them frequently, and take actions that will win their heart and support, so that they will stay closer, be more friendly and show more respect to us, and our appeal and our influence will grow. We must treat neighbors with sincerity and cultivate them as friends and partners. We should cooperate with our neighbors on the basis of mutual benefit, create a closer network of common interests, and better integrate China’s interests with theirs, so that they can benefit from China’s development and China can benefit and gain support from theirs. We should advocate inclusiveness, stressing that there is enough room in the Asia Pacific region for all countries to develop, and promoting regional cooperation with an open mind and enthusiasm. We must embrace and practice these ideas, so that they will become the shared beliefs and norms of conduct for the whole region.

As circumstances evolve, diplomacy with neighboring countries requires us to analyze and deal with issues strategically, improve our capabilities in planning and implementation, and promote every aspect of this diplomacy. We must also do everything possible to safeguard peace and stability in the region. The path of peaceful development is the Party’s strategic choice, in line with the times and aligned with the fundamental interests of the country. A major aim of this diplomacy is peace and stability in the region.

We must make every effort to achieve mutual benefits. We have to make overall plans for the use of our resources in the areas of the economy, trade, science and technology, and finance. We must take advantage of our comparative strengths, accurately identify strategic points of convergence for mutually beneficial cooperation with neighbors, and take an active part in regional economic cooperation. We should work with our neighbors to speed up connection of infrastructure between China and our neighboring countries, and establish a Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. We should accelerate implementation of the free trade area strategy with our neighboring countries as the base, expand cooperation in trade and investment, and create a new model of regional economic integration. We need to further advance regional financial cooperation, prepare for and establish the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and improve the regional financial security network. We should open the border areas more quickly and reinforce mutually beneficial cooperation between the border areas of China and neighboring countries.

We must make efforts to promote regional security cooperation, which is needed by both China and our neighboring countries. A new outlook on security is required that features mutual trust and mutual benefit, based on equality and coordination. We should advocate comprehensive, common and cooperative security, and work for security cooperation with neighboring countries, actively participate in regional and sub-regional security initiatives, push forward cooperation, and increase mutual trust.

We must strengthen communication, public diplomacy, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges with neighboring countries, and consolidate and expand the social and public basis for the long-term development of our relationships with them. Diplomatic relations rely on the bonds between peoples. We should promote exchanges in all fields, including tourism, science, education and sub-national cooperation, to make friends in a broad range of sectors. We should clearly present our domestic and foreign policies to the outside world, tell accurate and engaging stories of China, make our voice heard, interpret the Chinese Dream from the perspective of our neighbors and their aspirations for a better life and regional prosperity, and let a sense of shared future take root. 

Policies and strategies are the lifelines of the Party, and of our diplomatic work as well. To do good diplomatic work, we must keep our eye on the situation both at home and abroad. Our domestic focus is to realize the Two Centenary Goals and the Chinese Dream; our international objectives are to strive for favorable external conditions for China’s reform, development and stability, to safeguard state sovereignty, national security and development interests, and to maintain world peace and stability and promote common development. We should seek common ground and find converging interests, pursue the greater good and shared interests, hold to principles that we can act upon, cherish friendship and righteousness, and offer any assistance to developing countries that is within our means. For best results we need to promote reform and innovation in diplomatic work and strengthen the planning of our diplomatic activities. To achieve greater progress we should build a general framework to coordinate diplomatic work, weigh every relevant factor, and give full play to every department involved.

Diplomatic work with neighboring countries is arduous and demanding. Those charged with this responsibility must have a sense of mission and urgency. They must bear in mind the purpose of this work, improve their competence and working practices, devote themselves to the task, be bold in assuming responsibilities and making innovations, and engage in this work with drive and enthusiasm.

* Main points of the speech at a meeting on neighborhood diplomacy.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)