Blossoming Partnerships

By+An+Gang

Chinas diplomacy experienced a “bumper harvest” in 2014， said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang yi at a symposium held at the years end. On the brink of a new year， China had established 72 partnerships in various forms and at differing levels with 67 countries and five regions and regional organizations—an outreach effort spanning all major countries and regions of the world.

Global partnership network

According to Wang， Chinas diplomatic practices over the past two decades and more have created a global network of partnerships. These collective efforts have enhanced the strategic and global dimension of Chinas international relations. “A partnership does not mean giving up principles，” Wang noted， adding， “China will continue to follow an independent foreign policy of peace in international affairs， and manage issues based on objective and fair assessments.”

The concept of a “partnership” has grown in popularity since the end of the Cold War. At that time， taking advantage of its Cold War victory， NATO began promoting its plan of Partnership for Peace worldwide while seeking expansion to the east， actively establishing partnerships with non-NATO countries. Along with the rapid growth of the Chinese economy over the past decades， drawing from its historical advantages and learning from international experience， China began to expand its global reach by establishing partnerships with neighboring countries.

After 20 years of efforts， China has established numerous types of partnerships with countries， groups of nations， and international organizations in many regions， including comprehensive cooperation partnerships， strategic cooperation partnerships， comprehensive strategic partnerships， all-round strategic partnerships， strategic partnerships of cooperation， strategic partnerships， friendly and cooperative partnerships， comprehensive friendly and cooperative partnerships as well as strategic relationships of mutual benefit. Among these partnerships， Pakistan is Chinas sole all-weather strategic partner and its most highly trusted friend.

Since President xi Jinping took office， China has changed from reactive to proactive in its approach to international relations with the goal of protecting its national interests and expanding its influence on a global scale.

At the Central Work Conference on Foreign Affairs held last November， xi proposed the creation of a global partnership network， making more friends while adhering to the nonalignment principle.

“Nonalignment” has been one of the core principles of Chinese diplomacy since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949. But along with the countrys rise as a global power， some scholars and officials in Chinas diplomatic circle have raised doubts about the principle. Now， the global partnership network strategy has asserted that alignment is the product of the past—an outmoded approach that features confrontation aimed at an outside party， thus it does not conform to the current era of globalization and multipolarization. To create a favorable external environment for comprehensive in-depth reform， Chinese diplomacy should creatively adhere to the nonalignment principle， seeking productive partnerships rather than forming alliances.

Free-ride diplomacy

The world is currently undergoing a crucial postCold War transitional period， with an emerging character of multipolarization. No country alone can solve the traditional and new security threats and development challenges facing the international community. Even the United States， the worlds sole superpower， is also adjusting its strategy to handle international affairs by relying more on the power of its allies and multilateral platforms. In keeping with its principles， China has declined to form alliances or seek a sphere of influence. Instead， it has actively conducted its global partnership diplomacy， seeking global support for its peaceful development.

Most of Chinas partners， like itself， are developing countries. Almost all developing and neighboring countries are partners of China. China knows that no matter how economically strong it might be in the future， it will need the sincere support of developing countries. The main approach by which China forms partner-ships with developing countries is to provide a“free ride” for them to share the fruits of Chinas development， thereby contributing to global prosperity and promoting world peace.

In the past two years， China put forward and made a full-fledged push for the “One Belt and One Road Initiatives” （The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road） and Free Trade Area of the AsiaPacific strategy. In the meantime， China also proposed and initiated the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank， BRICS Development Bank as well as the Silk Road Fund. These initiatives have laid a foundation for Chinas global partnership network and largely benefited developing countries. The latest outcome of Chinas global partnership strategy is the establishment of the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States （CELAC）. The two sides jointly announced the establishment of the ChinaCELAC Forum during President xis visit to Latin America last July， and its first ministerial meeting was held in Beijing on January 8-9.

Diplomats and scholars in the United States are carefully watching the recent development of the China-Latin America partnership， which has sparked heated debate regarding “why China and Latin America are tying the knot.”Kevin Gallagher， Associate Professor of Global Development Policy at Boston University， expects that this Januarys Latin American powwow in Beijing will be a “pivot point for ChinaLatin America relations” that will most likely produce a “major set of funding arrangements.”“It is hard to think about substantive counteroffers that the U.S. can provide，” said Gallagher.

Big-power relations

Big-power relations comprise another important platform for Chinas partnership diplomacy. China develops partnerships with major world powers and conducts multi-level partnership cooperation with all countries， aimed at promoting a more balanced and reasonable direction for the international system.

On May 20， 2014， during the Fourth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia （CICA）， President xi signed a joint statement with Russian President vladimir Putin that agreed to step up the China-Russia all-round strategic partnership to a higher level. China and Russia are neighboring super powers， the combined size of which constitute three fifths of the total area of Eurasia. The strengthening of their collaboration and mutual support on the basis of common ground is of great significance， especially at a time when each country is faced with geopolitical pressures.

In April 2014， China and the EU for the first time released a joint statement on enhancing the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership featuring growth， reform and civilization. Five months later， China and India agreed to establish a closer partnership for development to promote their cooperation at bilateral， regional and global levels.

Ever since Beijing and Washington estab- lished official relations in the late 1970s， China has attempted several times to build a strategic partnership with the United States. But due to the differences in terms of ideology and strategic interests between the two， Chinas efforts have met with no results. Washington does not think it can be a “comprehensive” partner of Beijing as significant obstacles exist in the fields of military， human rights and cyber security. After taking office in March 2013， President xi proposed that the two should build a new model of major-country relations featuring no conflict， no confrontation， mutual respect and win-win cooperation， seeking to avoid the Thucydides Trap that claims a clash between a rising power and an established power is inevitable. In fact， the two countries have already become cooperation partners in certain fields including economy and trade， finance， antiterrorism， climate change as well as the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

Meanwhile， China and Japan enjoy a strategic relationship of mutual benefit， which was first proposed in 2008 during Shinzo Abes first term as Japans prime minister. However， since Abe again took power in 2012， China-Japan relations worsened due to Japans whitewashing of its war crimes as well as bilateral territorial disputes. Unless Japan thoroughly corrects its errors， it will be difficult for the two countries to return to their previous status of relations.