GENERALSecretaryoftheCentralCommitteeoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC)XiJinping’sthoughtondiplomacyisthecompassguidingChinaatacriticalstageinhistoryinwhichitismovingtothecenterstageoftheworldandstrivingtoachievenationalrejuvenation.ItisthetheoreticalbasisforChina’sendeavorstobuildanewtypeofinternationalrelationsandacommunitywithasharedfutureformankind,andtoimplementmajor-countrydiplomacywithChinesecharacteristics.InresponsetotheheateddiscussionsonChina’sfuturedevelopmentandtheworld’sconcernsaboutthecountry,thisthinkingexpoundsChina’sviewsonthecurrentworldorder,it’spositioningintheworldinthenewera,andthereforemakeshistoriccontributionstothedevelopmentofinternationalrelationstheories.
MovingtotheCenterStage
Inhisreporttothe19thNationalCongressoftheCPC,Xidefinedthenewerawearenowinas“anerathatseesChinamovingclosertocenterstageandmakinggreatercontributionstomankind.”Itshouldbenotedthatthecountryis“movingcloser”insteadofstandingatthecenterstage,aninsightfulobservationoftherealitythatevolutionoftheinternationalsituationhasacceleratedandChina’sinternationalstatusisrisingswiftly.Thisisthepreconditionforourdiplomaticworktoday.
XiJinping’sthoughtondiplomacyisthemostimportantguidelineforChinatomaintainstronggrowthmomentum,andconsolidateandincreaseitsinternationalinfluence,abilitytoinspire,andpowertoshapeupinawellplanned,phased,andstep-by-stepmanner.Underthisthinking,Chinasettheyears2035,bywhichsocialistmodernizationisexpectedtobebasicallyachieved,and2050,bywhichaprosperous,strong,democratic,culturallyadvanced,harmonious,andbeautifulmodernsocialistcountrywilltakeshape,astwokeynodesinthephasedprocessofbuildingitselfintoagreat,modernsocialistcountry.ThisreflectsChina’sstrategicandhistoricalvisionanditscommitmenttoworldpeaceanddevelopment.
InthisdynamicprocesswecanonlyachieveourgoalsbyfollowingtheguidanceofXiJinping’sthoughtondiplomacyandthroughpracticesofmajor-countrydiplomacywithChinesecharacteristics.Thecurrentcomplexinternationalsituationhasimposedhighdemandsonourdiplomacyintheyearstocome.Wemustbefreeofarroganceandrashnesstobeabletomakesolidprogress,andmeanwhile,befullyconfidentinourselvesandkeepaspiring.Wemustbewaryofconservatismandfearfordifficulties,meanwhileguardagainstconceitandarrogance.Wemustbealerttobothstraightforwardhostilityanddeceptiveadulation,andmaintainfirmstrategicresolveandself-confidence.
China’sInternationalStatus
TheoverarchinggoalofChina’sdiplomaticworkistosafeguardworldpeaceandpromotecommondevelopment.In“anerathatseesChinamovingclosertocenterstageandmakinggreatercontributionstomankind,”onegoalandalsothedesiredoutcomeofChina’smajorcountrydiplomacyistoreachthecenterstage.Butfornow,Chinaisyettoreachthisposition,whichisanassessmentbasedonobjectiveandsoberthinking.
Inhisreporttothe19thCPCNationalCongress,GeneralSecretaryXiarticulated:“WemustrecognizethattheevolutionoftheprincipalcontradictionfacingChinesesocietydoesnotchangeourassessmentofthepresentstageofsocialisminChina.ThebasicdimensionoftheChinesecontext—thatourcountryisstillandwilllongremainintheprimarystageofsocialism—hasnotchanged.China’sinternationalstatusastheworld’slargestdevelopingcountryhasnotchanged.”
Chinaintendstoarriveatthecenterstagebutnotthecenteroftheworld,accordingtoXiJinping’sthoughtondiplomacy.Whilestrivingtobuilditselfintoagreatmodernsocialistcountry,China,asaresponsiblebigcountry,iscommittedtobuildingamultipolarworldthroughitsmajor-countrydiplomacywithChinesecharacteristics.Chinaaimsatharmoniouscoexistencewithallothercountries,insteadofbecomingthecenteroftheworld.BasedonitsfinetraditionsandtheCPC’sforeignpolicy,Chinesediplomacyopposesunilateralism,hegemony,andpowerpolitics.MajorcountrydiplomacywithChinesecharacteristicsdoesnotaimtotoppletheexistinginternationalsystemtoestablishanewhegemonicpower.InsteadChinaworkswithallothercountriestobuildacommunitywithasharedfutureformankindbypreservingdiversityandpromotingcommondevelopment.ThisisahistoricalbreakthroughcomparedwithtraditionalWesterntheoriesoninternationalrelations.APolishreaderbrowsesthroughXiJinping:TheGovernanceofChina,whichhasbeenpublishedin23languagesinover160countriesandregions,atabookstoreinWarsawonOctober16,2017.SurpassingTraditionalWesternTheoriesonForeignRelations
MainstreamtraditionalWesterntheoriesonforeignrelationsprimarilyconsistoftwosects–realismandliberalism–andtheirvariantsandsubsets.Theircoreconcepts,includingnation-state,sovereignty,power,security,interest,andbalanceofpower,laidthegroundworkforinternationalrelationsofWesterncountriessincetheendoftheThirtyYears’Warinthemid-17thcentury,andstillholdswayovertoday’sglobalstatusquoandoperationofinternationalpolitics.TraditionalWesterntheoriesonforeignrelationsreflectthedualityviewofWesternphilosophy,whichtendstocauseinjusticeininternationalrelationswherethestrongpreyontheweakandgeneratethethinkingthatwhenonewins,otherslose.Thesetheoriesmotivatecountriestoformpoliticalandmilitaryalliances,andconsequentlyentrenchideologicaldivisionsandconfrontationbetweendifferentcamps.Theresultisinstabilityininternationalsystems.
Theneedforpeaceandstabilityhashauntedmankindthroughoutitshistory.Todaytheworldfacesglaringinstability,uncertainty,andinsecurityaswellasmountingdeficitsinpeace,development,andgov-ernance,whichposegrimthreatstoworldpeaceandcommondevelopmentofmankind.Nowitistimefortheworldtomakeupitsmindto“crosstheRubicon.”Morethan40internationalstudentscommentonXiJinping:TheGovernanceofChinaIIatasessionheldbytheJiangsuUniversityOverseasEducationCollegeonApril15,2018.XiJinping’sthinkingondiplomaticworkoutshinestraditionalWesterntheoriesonforeignrelations,becausefirst,itadvocatesacompletelynewtypeofinterstaterelations,withtheaimofblazinganewtrailinstate-to-staterelations.DepartingfromtheoldpatternundertraditionalWesterntheoriesonforeignrelationsinwhichcountriesseekpowerandsecuritybyformingpoliticalormilitaryalliances,itintendstodemolishthedivisionbetweenthedominantandsubordinatecountriesandthebarriersbetweendifferentcamps,callsforcountriesaroundtheworldtoformpartnershipsinsteadofalliances,andadvocatestheestablishmentofaglobalnetworkofpartnerships.
Second,XiJinping’sthinkingondiplomaticworkstrivestoestablishanewtypeofinternationalrelationscenteredonwin-wincooperation,which,intheessence,aimstosubstitutethedualitymindset.Ithelpscountriesoutoftheimpassewheretheyhaveonlytwooptions–absoluteorrelativereturns,shattersthetheoreticalbottleneckthatwinnertakesall,andthatjusticeandinterestsareinaskewed,contradictoryrelationship.Featuringabroader,prescientvisionandahigherperspective,thethinkingofferstheworldanewperspectiveonmutuallybeneficialcommondevelopment.
Third,withitsproposalofbuildingacommunitywithasharedfutureformankind,XiJinping’sthinkingondiplomacyreshapesthefundamentalperceptionofinternationalsystems,anddebunksthehypothesisoftraditionalWesterntheoriesoninternationalrelationsthattheinternationalcommunityisinperpetualanarchy.Aninnovativetheoryoftheinternationalsystem,itoffersanappropriateapproachtosolvingtoughissuesconcerningworldsecurity,development,peaceandstability,andpromotinghealthydevelopmentofinternationalrelations.
ForginganewtypeofinternationalrelationsandbuildingacommunitywithasharedfutureformankindarethecentralideainXiJinping’sthoughtondiplomacy.Beingcloselyrelated,theycompriseadialecticalunitythatgivesanswerstosuchquestionsas“whatkindofworldarewegoingtobuild?”“WhatkindofdiplomacydoesChinaneed?”“Howtohandlerelationswithothercountries?”And“howtoexplorethefuturedevelopmentofmankind?”
Forginganewtypeofinternationalrelationspavesthepathandcreatestheconditionsforbuildingacommunitywithasharedfutureformankind,whichinturnoffersguidanceandsetstheultimategoalforforginganewtypeofinternationalrelations.Withoutanewtypeofinternationalrelations,theinternationalcommunitycannotescapetherestrictivegripofrealpolitikandhegemony;withouttheguidanceofbuildingacommunitywithasharedfutureformankind,internationalrelationscannotdiscardtheruleofthejungleormenddivisionsandestrangement.
XiJinping’sthinkingondiplomacyisbasedonanindepthanalysisoftheevolvinginternationalsituation,domesticconditions,andChina’sinternationalstatusaswellaspreciseunderstandingoftheirtrends,andlawsoftheirdevelopment.Itisthetop-leveldesignforChina’sdiplomaticwork,andguidesChina’sdiplomaticworktofollowthetrendsofeconomicglobalizationanddemocratizationofinternationalrelations.GuidedbyXiJinping’sthoughtondiplomacy,China’smajorcountrydiplomacyinthenewerawillfocusonforginganewtypeofinternationalrelationsandbuildingacommunitywithasharedfutureformankind,strivefornationalrejuvenation,makefreshcontributionstopeaceanddevelopmentofmankind,andworktorealizethecherishedhopeofChinesepeopleandallmankindforcommondevelopment.C
WANGLEIisassociateprofessorwiththeSchoolofGovernmentanddirectoroftheBRICSCooperationCenter,bothunderBeijingNormalUniversity.