Toward a New Type of International Relations：Transcending History to Win the Future

□ Ruan Zongze

Toward a New Type of International Relations：Transcending History to Win the Future

□ Ruan Zongze

President Xi Jinping pointed out at the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs held in November 2014： “We need to pursue win-win cooperation， promote a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation， and continue to follow the win-win strategy of opening-up and a win-win approach in all aspects of our external relations including political， economic， security and cultural fields.” This is the first time that China explicitly put forward such a grand concept that defines the guiding principle for China's diplomatic theories in the new era，that is， “promoting a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation”. Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that this initiative is not only an inheritance of the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter but more a significant innovation on and further development of the Charter. It is also a crystallization of the diplomatic theories and practices of the new Central collective leadership with General Secretary Xi Jinping as the core since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. While pointing out the direction for China's diplomacy， it has farreaching historic and practical significance for promoting the evolution of international relations.

Since entering the second decade of the 21st century， China's diplomacy，while inheriting its fine tradition， has made innovations and advances with new thinking， new ideas and new practices constantly mushrooming. This has not only greatly inspired the Chinese people but also deeply impressed the international community. What is “new” in this “new type of international relations”？ How was it shaped？ What impact will it have on the future？ And what challenges does it face？ This article attempts to make some explorations on these questions.

Definition of “New Type of International Relations”

The core of “new type of international relations” is “win-win cooperation”. In contrast to the zero-sum idea of “one wins at the expense of the other”，“win-win cooperation” allows the two sides or several sides to achieve mutual benefit or all-win outcomes in cooperation to ensure gains for all parties concerned. With cooperation as the approach and win-win results as the goal， “win-win cooperation” is the road-map leading to the “new type of international relations”. “Cooperation” and “win-win” complement each other to form a perfect entity.

Cooperation is the approach. In the course of more than 30 years of reform and opening-up， China adhered to cooperation instead of confrontation as the means to deal with the outside world， which is exactly the approach of “win-win cooperation”. In spite of the drawbacks in the international system set up under Western dominance， China does not seek to overturn the existing system to start anew but voluntarily puts itself into the network of international systems by joining and participating in various international mechanisms and organizations. China demonstrated to the international community with action its will and resolve of respecting the international order and actively involving in international affairs while in the meantime the international system has become more representative and just because of China's integration into it.

Win-win result is the goal. The growth of China means the increase of the force for safeguarding world peace and for promoting world economicprosperity. China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council； its development and growing strength is conducive to further maintaining the authority of the United Nations as well as world peace and stability. During the 2008 financial crisis which swept the whole world and caused the world economy to suffer the Waterloo， the three major economies in the West， i.e.，the United States， the EU and Japan， fell into recession almost simultaneously. The emerging economies represented by China rose to become a significant force leading the recovery of the world economy， and China's contribution is obvious to all. Even today in the “postcrisis time”， China remains one of the “dual engines” driving the world economy. The tremendous achievements China scored in its economic development give it greater capability and more resources to provide more “public goods” to the world， which is beneficial to the maintenance of world peace and stability.

Win-win cooperation is the core idea of the “new type of international relations”. Foreign Minister Wang stressed： “China is the first major country to make win-win cooperation the fundamental goal of international exchanges. This is in keeping with the fine tradition of the Chinese culture，the abiding goal of China's diplomacy and the contemporary trend toward economic globalization and democracy in international relations. As a new approach to managing state-to-state relations in the contemporary world， it will exert a positive and profound impact on the evolution of international relations.” The idea of win-win cooperation is no doubt the core content of China's diplomacy； and it is the path to peace and prosperity as it accords with the trend of the world.

China not only advocates the idea of “new type of international relations” but also puts it into practice in actively unfolding major-country diplomacy with Chinese features. Foreign Minister Wang points out： “Theword ‘features'， highlighting the major-country diplomacy as China pursues，underscores China's determination to achieve national greatness through ways different from traditional powers. The Chinese nation has always loved peace. While pursuing peaceful development， we are also committed to advocating， promoting and keeping peace in international affairs.” To be specific， China promotes the building of a “new type of international relations” mainly in the following aspects.

Managing a new type of neighborhood relations

Looking around the whole world， one sees that it seems almost all major countries have the fate of being“geographically close to but not intimate”with their neighbors. China's neighboring countries are numerous in number and different in size， strength and level of prosperity， and are fairly deeply affected by the Cold War. Moreover， relations between China and its neighbors experienced some zigzags in history and there still exist some disputes on territory and maritime rights and interests between China and some of its neighbors， which complicates China's neighborhood relations. In spite of that， China remains the major country that will hopefully be the first to solve this historic difficult problem. Devoted to developing friendly relations of cooperation and keep positive interactions with its neighbors all along，China has delimited boundary lines with 12 neighboring countries through negotiation and is confident of settling other territorial disputes by peaceful means. How to promote the path of mutual benefit and win-win results and construct the “community of common destiny” together with its neighbors has become the new demand of China's diplomacy in the future.

At present， developing good-neighborly friendly relations with surrounding countries takes the priority place in China's diplomatic work. In recent years， neighboring countries have been frequent destinations of visits by Chinese leaders. In 2013， China convened a special conference on neighborhood diplomatic work which comprehensively reviewed and renewed China's neighborhood foreign policy. China is committed to establishing closer institutional relations and vigorously strengthening and developing closer partnerships with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization，ASEAN， Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. China pursues the neighborhood policy of “amity， sincerity， mutual benefit and inclusiveness” to appropriately address differences with its neighbors. Taken as a whole， China's reform and opening-up have benefited from the active participation of the neighboring countries while the latter has also reaped dividends from China's development. China and its neighbors have not only formed a community of interest but also a community of shared destiny under new historical conditions.

Building a New Type of Major-country Relations

China and Russia， sharing a 4，300 kilometers-long common border， areeach other's biggest neighbor and strategic support backing each other. For many years， leaders of the two countries have been frequently exchanging visits and the bilateral relations have been developing in a vigorous way. Relations between them have been upgraded from simple partnership to strategic partnership for coordination and further to comprehensive strategic partnership for coordination with the level of exchange constantly rising. The strategic partnership for coordination has been advancing steadily at a high level and the basis for cooperation is getting more and more solid. In recent years，breakthrough progress has been made on several major cooperation projects thanks to guidance from the top leadership of the two countries. The longterm stable development of China-Russia relations not only accords with the fundamental interests of the two countries but also benefits the durable peace and stability of the world.

The new type of major-country relations between China and the United States has reaped an “early harvest”. In November 2014， U.S. President Barack Obama paid a state visit to China after attending the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting held in Beijing. The “Yingtai evening discussions” between President Xi Jinping and President Obama during the visit added splendor to China-U.S. relations. The two sides achieved major results in a wide range of areas including climate change response， reciprocal visa arrangements and establishment of confidence-building measures between the two militaries. During talks with President Obama， President Xi pointed out that the two sides should push forward the building of the new type of major-country relationship between China and the United States in six key directions： first，strengthen high-level communication and exchanges to promote strategic mutual trust； second， handle the bilateral relations on the basis of mutual respect； third， deepen exchanges and cooperation in all fields； fourth， manage and control divergences and sensitive issues in a constructive way； fifth， carryout inclusive cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region； and sixth， jointly cope with all regional and global challenges. The above-mentioned concrete results show that the building of a new type of major-country relationship between China and the United States is not a castle in the air but a strategic move with substantial contents. Such action is not only in the fundamental interests of the Chinese and American peoples but also conducive to safeguarding peace，stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region as well as the whole world.

China-EU cooperation has opened a new situation with the two sides deciding to build a partnership for peace， growth， reform and civilization. The combined population of China and the EU amounts to one-fourth of the world total and their economic aggregates one-third of the world total. The EU is China's largest trading partner while China is the EU's second largest trading partner. President Xi emphasized that China-EU relations should be viewed from the strategic perspective and that efforts should be made to integrate the two great forces， two great markets and two great civilizations of China and EU to jointly build a partnership for peace， growth， reform and civilization. In the meantime， China has made positive efforts to explain itself to the EU. President Xi described China as a “peaceful， amiable and civilized lion”. In April 2014， the Chinese government released China's Policy Paper on the EU： Deepen the China-EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Mutual Benefit and Win-win Cooperation， offering a blueprint for cooperation between the two sides in the coming five to ten years. The second policy document on the EU since China issued the first one 11 years earlier， it emphasized that China-EU relations now face new historic opportunities and that deepening China-EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Mutual Benefit and Win-win Cooperation will provide impetus to the development of China and the EU and contribute to peace and prosperity of the world.

Upholding a Right Approach to Principles and Interests

China， as the largest developing country in the world today， bears multiple attributes， which determines that in spite of China's development， it will remain a developing country and an ally of the developing countries. This willnot change even when China's economic aggregates rise to become the biggest in the world in the future. This requires China to always put expanding and developing relations with the developing countries as its priority and firmly safeguard the interests of the developing countries. President Xi stressed at the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs that China should uphold the right approach to principles and interests and put principles at first place when dealing with others. He added that we should persist in treating our African brothers on an equal footing， be sincere and friendly， keep promises and be trustworthy， and speak out for African countries to safeguard their just rights and reasonable demands. China will never follow the old path of colonialist plunder when dealing with African countries but endeavor to achieve common development with them. Foreign Minister Wang points out： “The right approach to principles and interests is a banner of China's diplomacy in the new era. China will give more scope to the reasonable demands of the African countries and strive to let Africa gain more benefits at an early date through cooperation. When necessary， we should also surrender some interests for the sake of principles or even give up interests to uphold principles.”

Forming Partnerships instead of Alliances

Alliance and confrontation are hallmarks of the Cold War period. In the post-Cold War era， only the type of international relations that transcends the Cold War thinking would give new hope to the world. Timely drawing on lessons and experience in history， China has explored and found a new path of forming partnerships instead of alliances. President Xi points out： “Those share the same vision and objective are partners； those seek common ground while shelving differences are also partners.” To date， China has formed 72 partnerships of various types in various degrees with 67 countries and fiveregional or sub-regional organizations， covering all major countries and regions in the world. A partnership bears three basic features， namely， equality，peace and inclusiveness. The greatest difference between a partnership and an alliance is that having no imaginary enemy or not targeting at any third party，it is committed to handling state-to-state relations with the win-win and non-zero-sum ideas by means of cooperation instead of confrontation and by ruling out the interference of the military factor on state-to-state relations. By forming partnerships， China has ridden off the ideological and geopolitical bonds to take a more flexible position in international relations with more initiative in hand.

Improving Global Economic Governance

The global financial crisis that broke out in 2008 gave birth to the Group of Twenty （G20）. In September 2009， leaders of 19 leading economies and the EU announced at the Third Financial Summit of the G20 Leaders that the G20 would replace the G8 to become the primary global forum for international economic cooperation and coordination， thus putting the G8 on a secondary place in international economic affairs. In 2010， the G20 achieved a reform plan on the IMF quotas and governance. The long delay by the United States to ratify the plan aroused wide-spread dissatisfaction of the international community. At the 2014 G20 Summit， President Xi made the call： “We should take this opportunity to establish a just， fair， inclusive and orderly international financial system and increase the representation and say of the emerging markets and developing countries to ensure that all countries enjoy equality in rights， opportunities and rules in international economic cooperation. We should also speed up the earnest implementation of the IMF reform plan and fortify the global financial security net.” Constantly strengthening solidarity and coordination as well as strategic communication with various emerging market countries， China has in recent years shaped the“BRICS spirit” featuring openness， inclusiveness， cooperation and win-win results together with other BRICS members， set up the BRICS Development Bank and Contingency Reserve arrangement， and established together with20 other Asian countries the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank， which are all valuable supplements to the international financial system.

The Shaping of the New Idea

The idea of “new type of international relations” highlights the features of China's diplomacy in inheriting the fine tradition while advancing with the times， and it is consistent with the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence， the new security concept and other diplomatic ideas.

From the perspective of history， international relations are undergoing transformation， which badly needs correct guidance. The basic norms governing contemporary international relations can be dated back to the Westphalia Accord following the end of large-scale wars in Europe in the first half of the 17th century， which established the norms of international relations based on equality and sovereignty. Later on， the international community concluded a number of international treaties and set up various international systems and organizations， such as the Vienna system， the Versailles-Washington system， the Yalta system， the League of Nations following the end of the First World War and the United Nations after the Second World War. The Charter of the United Nations established the basic norms governing the contemporary international relations， but the Cold War prevailed for over half a century due to the fact that the two big military alliances headed by the United States and the Soviet Union dominated the post-war international relations.

Since the end of the Cold War， the Soviet Union disappeared together with the Warsaw Treaty Organization in Europe， but NATO has remained. In Asia， the United States maintains its system of military alliances and attempts to make it the “cornerstone” for maintaining peace and stability in East Asia by measures of reinforcement and expansion. What is ironical is that to justify its existence， the United States and its allies have tried their best to find or even create “strategic rivals”， which seriously endangers peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. The recent Ukraine crisis and the U.S. “re-balancing”toward Asia are strongly tinged with the Cold War thinking. To set up closed and exclusive military alliances on the basis of creating an enemy runs counter to the trend of the times featuring peace and development.

Seventy years have elapsed since the birth of the UN Charter， yet the attractive vision it described remains to be realized. Local conflicts and group politics do not end while non-traditional security problems and other difficult issues increase with each passing day. Against this background， the “new type of international relations” featuring win-win cooperation emerges as the times require.

Domestically， building a “new type of international relations” is a necessary guarantee for realizing the Chinese dream. When visiting the grand exhibition of “Road to Renewal”on November 29， 2012， General Secretary Xi Jinping formally put forward the concept of “Chinese dream”， which has now become the spiritual force stimulating the Chinese people to forge ahead. China's diplomacy must serve the realization of the Chinese dream， serving not only China's domestic economic construction but also the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and socialism with Chinese characteristics. Unequivocally adhering to the social system and development path widely endorsed by the Chinese people and unswervingly following the leadership of the Party and socialism with Chinese characteristics are integral parts of the Chinese-featured majorcountry diplomacy. President Xi stressed， “We should conduct diplomacy with a salient Chinese feature and a Chinese vision. We should uphold the CPC's leadership and socialism with distinctive Chinese features， and stick to our development path， social system， cultural tradition and values. We should take an overall approach to national security， strengthen the confidence of the Chinese people in the path， theories and system of socialism with distinctive Chinese features， and ensure China's durable peace and stability.” These remarks greatly enriched the contents of China's contemporary diplomacy，that is， to serve the enhancement of the “three confidences”.

President Xi took the initiative to expound the significance of China choosing its own social system and development path when meeting with visiting foreign guests or making visits to foreign countries. In March 2014，he spoke about how to understand today's China in his speech at the College of Europe. In November， he explained to U.S. President Obama during the “Yingtai evening discussions” China's efforts in comprehensively deepening re-form，promoting governance by rule of the law，strengthening the building of the ruling Party and other matters， stressing that China has found a development path that suits its national conditions. He added that China will firmly keep on this path and that China's continued stability and development will benefit the world and bring more opportunities to the United States and China-U.S. cooperation.

President Xi pointed out that to understand today's China and predict tomorrow's China， one has to know China's past and culture. Modern Chinese people's thinking and the Chinese government's strategy of national governance are soaked with the gene of traditional Chinese culture. Chinese people have cherished national independence， unity and dignity since ancient times. The Chinese government must comply with the people's will， firmly safeguard national sovereignty， security and territorial integrity， maintain ethnic solidarity and social stability， and unswervingly pursue the path of peaceful development. China and the United States have different national conditions， history and culture， and development paths， and stand in different development phases. The two countries should understand and respect each other， and live in harmony by focusing on similarities and allowing divergences.

President Obama expressed that the in-depth exchange with President Xi has furthered his understanding of China's situation as well as the governing ideas of the Chinese government and the Chinese leaders. He had a betterunderstanding of why Chinese people cherish national unity and stability. He added that the United States is supportive to China's reform and openingup and has no intention of suppressing or containing China， for it is not in conformity with the U.S.'s interests. Such open and candid exchange is conducive to enhancing not only mutual understanding but also mutual trust.

Internationally， the world expects China to play a bigger role. As the second largest economy in the world， China is already under the spotlight， receiving special attention for whatever it says and does. China's interest has been deeply integrated with that of the world， and the world expects China to play a bigger role whether in promoting economic prosperity and development， in resolving various crises and conflicts， or in building a fair and reasonable new world order. This shows that the growth of China's strength has won China the respect of the world while at the same time the international community expects China to take up greater responsibility. It is no doubt the opportune time for China to exhibit itself.

The advocacy of “new type of international relations” demonstrates that China is providing in a pro-active way the “Chinese plan” in response to the need of the international community. At a time when China's economic transformation is heading for the “new formal” in restructuring， it needs to further expand opening-up and deepen international cooperation， transfer its competitive production capacity to the outside world， and seek fresh investment markets for its capital. In 2014， China maintained the rising momentum of absorbing foreign investment， keeping the Number One position of absorbing foreign investment for 23 consecutive years. In the meantime， the volume of China's outward investment matched that of the inward investment， and the current momentum shows the increase speed of outward investment would continue to be faster than that of inward investment. It is predicted that the size of China's outward investment willsurpass that of its inward investment， which will be a historic change for China. If China was devoted to “bringing in” in the first 30 years since reform and opening-up， then it will be time for China to “go global” in the future. Grasping the opportunity of industrial revolution in the world in the 1980s，China engaged itself in economic globalization through reform and openingup and in particular entering the World Trade Organization， which greatly raised China's comprehensive national strength. The advent of the fourth industrial revolution or “industrialization 4.0” presents China with a rare new opportunity. As President Xi has pointed out that historic opportunities come and go in a flip and we now face a major historic opportunity of promoting technological innovation which we must firmly grasp because once missed it will never come back again， so as to maintain and prolong the period of strategic opportunity for our development.

Against this backdrop， China advocated and promoted the building of the “Silk Road Economic Belt” and the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”，hoping to deliver more and bigger development dividends to regions along the belt and the road and the whole world. This is a new round of grand openingup. Since the formulation of the strategy， it has won frequent acclaim from the international community and positive response from over 50 countries along the routes. These countries all expressed their willingness to align the strategy with their own development strategies， opportunities and interests. A favorable momentum of interaction has thus arisen.

How to Win the Future

The shaping and transformation of world orders in history took place mostly in the wake of wars and conflicts. The “new type of international relations”comes into being in the transitional period of the world order in the 21st century and develops and evolves by and large in a peaceful manner. Hence，the process will be more complicated and protracted while at the same time playing a leading role in the development and transition of the future world order. The ideas and actions of China provide the international communitywith a unique Chinese perspective in shaping a new era of win-win cooperation.

Expound the kind of world order China wants in a clear-cut way

The year 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding the United Nations and victory of the World Anti-fascist War and the Chinese People's War against Japanese Aggression. In February 2015， China， as rotating presidency of the UN Security Council， proposed to convene a ministerial-level open debate of the Security Council with the theme“Maintaining International Peace and Security： Take History as a Mirror and Reaffirm the Strong Commitment to the Purposes and Principles of the Charter of the United Nations”. The debate took place at the UN headquarters in New York on February 23 at which representatives of over 80 countries took the floor one after another. Foreign Minister Wang Yi presided over the debate and delivered an important speech. He pointed out： “Drawing lessons from history means to reaffirm the solemn commitment to the Charter of the United Nations to spare ‘the succeeding generations from the scourge of war which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind.'” He further expounded China's four-point proposition on international relations in the 21st century， namely， first， we should uphold peace and prevent conflict；second， we should opt for cooperation， not confrontation； third， we should make sure that justice， not hegemony， will prevail in the world； fourth， we should work with each other with a win-win， not zero-sum approach. Fully embodying the orientation of the “new type of international relations”， this proposition is the fresh efforts made by China in presenting the “Chinese plan” to the international community.

The “new type of international relations” can help increase the transparency and predictability of China's foreign policy. China endeavorsto form a closer community of interests with the world and provide a new option to the world. The purpose of China's proposal to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road is to realize common development and prosperity of countries along the routes. This proposal， which upholds the idea of building a community of shared destiny and emphasizes the equal-footed and mutually beneficial means featuring joint consultation， concerted efforts and sharing， dovetails in essence with the development strategies of various countries along the belt and the road and accords with the aspirations and demands of the people of the regions along the routes. Bringing greater returns to countries along the way from economic integration， the proposal has received positive responses from all sides.

The current world order is undergoing historic transformation. The rise of other forces in the world represented by the BRICS countries is the most exhilarating story. The contributions made by the emerging economies in human development， poverty relief，response to cross-border threats as well as driving global economic recovery in the post-financial crisis are undeniable. That the emerging economies wish to participate in the formulation of international rules and agenda-setting on equal footing and make greater contributions to the international community is also an inevitable trend and should be regarded as a contribution and constructive force to the existing system.

Some countries and forces， however， still look at the rise and voice of the emerging economies with the zero-sum attitude and resist the transformation and development of the world order. The BRICS countries are excluded without exception from the process of negotiation on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement （TPP） and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership （TTIP）. The West has lost an excellent change to jointly build a relationship of share-holders and work for a new world order together withthe emerging economies.

Display China's responsibility and manage and control differences in a constructive way

As differences and frictions will exist in the whole process of China's rise，China needs to manage and control the relevant differences and disputes in a constructive way and prove to the world that its rise will bring practical benefits to peace and stability in the region and the world over. While pursuing peaceful development， China also needs to go toward the same direction with countries concerned and take identical attitude and actions， not the opposite.

Challenges in disputes over maritime rights and interests have entered a new stage. Involvement of outside forces in the South China Sea and the East China Sea sees no restraint， and behind the contest between China and a few neighboring countries is the competition between China and the United States. In August 2014， the United States put forward the proposal of “freezing”actions in the South China Sea at the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting，which received scant response except from the Philippines. China responded by raising the “dual-track approach” and warned the outside forces to behavethemselves in a proper way. Premier Li Keqiang said at the East Asia Summit held in November 2014 that we have identified the “dual-track approach” for the settlement of the South China Sea disputes， that is， the specific disputes shall be resolved peacefully through negotiations between parties concerned on the basis of respecting historical facts and the international law while the peace and stability in the South China Sea shall be jointly maintained by China and the ASEAN countries.

Prior to that， Foreign Minister Wang stated at the press conference following the China-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting held in Nay Pyi Taw，Myanmar that China favors and advocates to handle the South China Sea disputes with the “dual-track approach”. This indicates that China separates the settlement of the South China Sea disputes from the maintenance of peace and stability in the South China Sea. Displaying firmness in principle and flexibility in tactics on the part of China， this approach wins understanding and support of most countries in the region.

At the same time， China conducted in a pro-active way consultations with countries concerned， trying to reach the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea on the basis of consensus at an early date. Due to frequent disputes provoked by Japan on questions of history and the Diaoyu Islands， China-Japan relations have fallen to the bottom. On November 7， 2014， Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and visiting National Security Adviser of Japan Shotaro Yachi held talks in Beijing and reached a four-point principled agreement on handling and improving the bilateral relations. This represented a significant step toward easing and improving China-Japan relations.

However， the competition between China and Japan at the bilateral and regional levels will persist for a long time， as the pervasive anxiety and unease，arrogance and a sense of inferiority in Japanese government and society which have been anxious to get rid of the “post-war institutions” will add a set of complex factors to the bilateral relations.

Explore Chinese ways for settling international hotspot issues

At present， international hotspots rise and fall intermittently. As apermanent member of the UN Security Council， China took an active part in negotiations and mediation for resolving these issues. China announced the provision of fresh assistance and large-scale training program for Afghanistan in support of its triple transition in the political， economic and security fields and efforts to maintain peace and stability in the country with concrete action. China took an active part in the process of negotiating a comprehensive agreement on the Iran nuclear issue and put forward the Chinese approach and plan in the course of the negotiation and at critical junctures of the talks，playing a constructive role in reducing differences， breaking the deadlock and pushing forward the negotiation. On the question of the Korea nuclear issue，China adheres to de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsular， maintenance of peace and stability on the Peninsular and settlement of the issue through dialogue and consultation and stands for resuming the Six-Party Talks at an early date to put the issue once again into the sustainable， irreversible and effective process of dialogue.

When the Ebola epidemic hit some African countries all of a sudden，China rendered a helping hand to its African brothers at first instance. It provided assistance to the afflicted countries and the surrounding countries worth a total of RMB750 million， dispatched more than 1，000 epidemic experts and medical personnel to the front to engage in on-the-spot rescue and timely set up rescue and treatment centers in the afflicted areas. On the Ukraine issue， China pursues an objective and just stand and takes an active part in promoting peaceful negotiation. On the Syrian crisis， the Chinese government has always persisted in seeking a peaceful settlement of the crisis under the UN framework， maintained close communication and coordination with various parties concerned and played a constructive role in the smooth adoption of the Security Council resolution relating to the Syrian chemical weapons issue. On the South Sudan question， China has made positive contribution to resolving disputes relating to the South Sudan problem in accordance with the consensus reached by the international community including the relevant Security Council resolutions. China has dispatched 700-strong infantry battalion to South Sudan for peace-keeping at invitationof the UN. China remains until now the country among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council that has sent the biggest number of UN blue-helmet troops to conflicting areas， rendering firm support to UN peacekeeping operations with its concrete action.

Challenges to Overcome

As the concept of “new type of international relations” contains elements of idealism and constructivism， it will inevitably meet with challenges from realism， especially offensive realism. At policy level， the international community must appropriately address the following difficult problems.

The profound influence of “zero-sum” thinking on the world

The process of globalization has reshaped the conception and way of thinking of the people and there are already sparks of thought for winwin cooperation in Asia-Pacific and other regions of the world. But in international politics and state relations， the idea of “zero-sum game” is still prevalent and some countries indulge in it with great pleasure. In particular，those with vested interests and the established groups are reluctant to accept it， and hence the concept still faces multiple obstacles. Therefore， bringing the concept of win-win cooperation to fruition in the international community will be a long and protracted process， which requires patience and confidence.

The obstacle of security predicament

A common phenomenon in international relations is that the defensive measures adopted by one country for its own security will often reduce the security of other countries. This predicament constrains the in-depth unfolding of international cooperation and deepens mutual guard and distrust between countries. Asia-Pacific is the most economically vibrant region as well as the region with the most complex security challenges with a Cold War legacy that is difficult to remove. Some countries are still bent on reinforcing military alliances and often threat others with such alliances； one country eventried hard to overturn historical verdicts， attempting to turn back the wheel of history to absolve itself from guilt and shift troubles onto others. They put interests of the alliance above regional stability and fairness and justice，resulting in regional tension. Therefore， military alliances are one of the important causes for the security predicament， and the security predicament is detrimental to the construction of the common security framework.

The complex run-in period between China and the outside world

To certain extent， it seems the outside world has accustomed to China's“silence” and passive response in international affairs and some countries will feel uneasy or even restless once China becomes more and more “vocal”or takes the initiative to express its views， worrying that China would grab their “mikes”. Some opinions regard China's action in safeguarding state sovereignty and territorial integrity as“threats”， purposefully playing up China's“tough diplomacy”； some misread the common， comprehensive， cooperative and sustainable security concept put forward by China as the “Chinese version of Monroe doctrine”； and some others mistake the “one belt and one road” proposal as the “Chinese version of Marshall Plan”， refer China's investment in Africa as “new colonialism” practiced by China， and regard the BRICS Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as “threats” to the existing international banking order， so on and so forth. In face of such bios and misreading， China should not refrain from doing what should be done but make more positive efforts to enhance trust， dispel doubts and accumulate common understanding to enlarge the great common divisor of win-win cooperation. The building of the “new type of international relations” is no plain-sailing which needs the concerted efforts of various countries in the world.

Conclusion

The grand concept of building a “new type of international relations” on the basis of assessing the overall domestic and international situations is not only an enrichment and development of contemporary China's diplomatic thinking but also a major judgment on the direction of evolution of the future world order. Conducive for China to take the international moral highground at the juncture of world order evolution， it will inevitably exert farreaching influence on the development of future international relations. Both the starting-point and aim of the “new type of international relations” are“win-win cooperation”， which differs fundamentally with the international relations dominated by the idea of zero-sum game. To realize the Chinese dream， it is necessary for China to pursue the path of peaceful development and promote the development of the “new type of international relations” on the basis of safeguarding its own core interests. Meanwhile， China hopes to achieve common development together with the international community in the spirit of win-win cooperation embodied in the “one belt and one road”initiative.

Representing the innovation of China's concepts， the “new type of international relations” fits with the trends of the 21st century and the common interests and demands of most countries in the world. As such， it is bound to win international understanding and acceptance. As Foreign Minister Wang notes： “China advocates a new thinking of win-win and all-win cooperation，as well as a new concept of community building for shared interests and common destiny. We call upon all countries to come together to share rights and obligations and uphold justice while pursuing interests. This way， we will usher in a new world where the interests of individual countries and those of others and the wider international community could all be properly safeguarded.” To put it in a nutshell， the “new type of international relations”bears the salient features of “Chinese diplomacy” and characteristics of the times whose significance lies in transcending history to win the future.

Ruan Zongze is Senior Research Fellow and Vice President of China Institute of International Studies.