Diplomatic Wisdom

For any sovereign state， diplomacy is an important part of international relations， and one of the principal goals of diplomacy today is for a country to carry out its foreign policies， protect its core national interests， develop friendly and cooperative ties with other states， and to try to enhance its influence in the international community.

Since the founding of the Peoples Republic in 1949， China has pursued independent foreign policies that are focused on peace and development as well as mutual benefits for itself and the world at large. Along with the countrys peaceful rise during the past 35 years， thanks largely to the reform and opening up， China has begun to play a growing role on the world stage. This， of course， calls for China to bring its diplomatic wisdom to the table.

Since the new Chinese leadership first assumed its duties last March， a fresh round of top-level diplomacy has begun. President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang， alongside other top leaders， have visited 14 and seven countries respectively across Asia， Europe， Africa and the Americas， as well as participating in multilateral global conferences involving the BRICS， G20， APEC as well as the ASEAN. Meanwhile， official statistics also indicate that China played host to 64 foreign leaders last year， with nearly 800 cooperative deals signed

Effective and fruitful diplomatic endeavors aside， the new Chinese leadership also has， as some diplomatic observers put it， demonstrated unique honesty， pragmatism and self-confidence， reflecting the sophisticated diplomatic poise of the leaders from this large and responsible nation.

Taking into consideration internal and external scenarios China is faced with， the countrys diplomatic priorities may include strengthening the economic bonds with the world and building up strategic trust with major powers and developing countries alike. Judging from their performance and the progress made in these and other areas， it could be concluded that Chinas new leaders have been greatly successful on their diplomatic missions in 2013.