Theory of Community of Shared Future for Mankind in Xi Jinping Diplomatic Thought

CHEN XULONG

Research Fellow, Director of Department of International and Strategic Studies, China Institute of International Studies

Theory of Community of Shared Future for Mankind in Xi Jinping Diplomatic Thought

CHEN XULONG

Research Fellow, Director of Department of International and Strategic Studies, China Institute of International Studies

On June 22, 2016, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech titled “Jointly Compose a New and Splendid Chapter of the Silk Road” at the Legislative Chamber of the Supreme Assembly of Uzbekistan in Tashkent.

If one uses a theoretic system to put into nutshell diplomatic thought of General-Secretary Xi Jinping since the 18th CPC National Congress, then he will use the theory of community of shared future of mankind, which can also be described as “to fly the banner of the doctrine of international winwin cooperation and to take the road of building a community of shared future for mankind”. It is both the essence of China’s contemporary foreign policy and Xi Jinping diplomatic thought and the most salient feature of majorcountry diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.

The theory of community of Shared Future for Mankind is based on interdependence, mutual penetration of interest and being of close concern to one another. It has two pillars in peaceful development and win-win cooperation. In a creative way, it puts forward a series of new theoretic viewpoints and strategic thoughts. It is progressive in the sense of sublating and transcending traditional international relations. It is an important contribution of China to the theory of international relations for the 21st century. Being an important guideline for realizing the“Chinese Dream” and chasing a “World Dream”, it is an important strategic theorem that must be upheld and implemented in proactively conducting major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.

THREE HISTORICAl LEAPS IN THEORY OF COMMUNITY OF SHARED FUTURE OF MANkIND

Prior to the 18th CPC National Congress, the theory of community of shared future for mankind, though already germinated, was yet to be put forward as a clear-cut proposition, let alone to be put in details, in substantiality and in a systemic way. Since the 18th Congress, the theory of community of Shared Future for Mankind has undergone three historical leaps, gradually becoming a significant theoretic system with rich content that takes up a principal position in Xi Jinping diplomatic thought.

The 18th Congress placed “win-win cooperation” high on the banner of Chinese diplomacy and put forward the concept of “community of shared future for mankind”, though being used only to explain the connotation of “cooperation in a win-win situation”at that time, it already touched upon two theoretic questions of “to be” and“ought to be”, namely what “a community of shared future for mankind”is and what it should be. This author believes that it can be seen as the first historical leap of the strategic thinking or theory of “community of shared future for mankind”, namely to be put on the high plane of the flag of Chinese diplomacy.

Since the 18th Congress, General-Secretary Xi Jinping has expounded on the “community of shared future for mankind” on over 30 occasions, answering in-depth the two theoretic questions of “to be” and “ought to be”. He points out that at level hitherto unseen, countries are linked with and dependent on one another. Mankind, by living in the same global village within the same time and space where history and reality meet, have increasingly emerged as a community of common destiny in which everyone has in himself a little bit of others. By this, he speaks about the community of Shared Future for Mankind from the angle of“to be”. He remarks that we all live in the same Asian family. With our interests and security so closely intertwined, we will swim or sink together and we are increasingly becoming a community of common destiny. All countries should build the awareness of a community of common destiny and truly understand the derivative effects of“sharing weal and woe”, cooperating in competition, and achieving win-win results in cooperation. We should keep to the right direction, stick together in time of difficulty and ensure that development in Asia and the rest of the world reaches new highs. Let us aspire for the high and grand while planting our feet firmly on the ground, deepen our connectivity partnership, upgrade Asia’s regional cooperation and work together to build a community of common development and shared destiny. This links “to be” with “ought to be”and expounds on the Asian community of share destiny.

Furthermore, Xi Jinping calls for letting the awareness of community of common destiny take roots in the neighboring countries, building closer ties and a community of shared destiny between China and the ASEAN, striving to build a community of shared destiny and common progress between China and Africa, between China and Latin America and between China and Arab countries. This puts the theory of community of Shared Future for Mankind in further details and in more concrete terms for implementation, which can be seen as a second historical leap.

In September 2015, President Xi Jinping made an important speech at the general debate of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly titled Working Together to Forge a New Partnership of Win-win Cooperation and Create a Community of Shared Future for Mankind, closely linking the construction of a community of shared future with building a new model of international relationship featuring win-win cooperation and proposing a “pentad”layout and route for implementation: in political terms, to build partnerships in which countries treat each other as equals, engage in mutual consultation and show mutual understanding; in security terms, to create a security architecture featuring fairness, justice, joint contribution and shared benefits; in economic terms, to promote open, innovative and inclusive development that benefits all; in cultural terms, to increase inter-civilization exchanges to promote harmony, inclusiveness and respect for differences; and in ecological terms, to build an ecosystem that puts mother nature and green development first.

This important speech made the concept of endeavoring to build the community of shared future for mankind more systemic, planting into the“pentad” a new model of major-country relationship, a new model of international relationship and a new model of righteousness-and-benefit outlook, new thinking like consultative governance and common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and new concepts such as green, low-carbon, recycling and sustainable development, forming a whole system. This marks the realization of third historical leap of the theory of community of shared future for mankind, the theory being enriched and developing significantly, and becoming systemic.

FURTHER ENRICHING THEORY OF COMMUNITY OF SHARED FUTURE FOR MAN-kIND

Hand in hand with the objective development trend of the community of shared future for mankind, and as China endeavors to promote the thinking and practice of building the community moving along with the time, the content of the theory will necessarily continue to be enriched and develop.

At present, standing on a new historical starting point, China can further enrich the theory of community of shared future for mankind in regard to promoting the construction of the community of shared future for mankind and in so doing it will be appropriate to include into the theoretic system a series of international outlooks centering about win-win cooperation, which should be taken for an important pillar.

(1) Outlook of Interest Based on Win-Win, Multi-Win and All-Win Principles

While pursuing its own interests, a country should accommodate the legitimate concerns of others, con-necting its interests with the common interests of all countries, striving to expand converging point of interests and enhancing common interests of mankind. It will not do that one acts whereas the other counteracts, but rather, they should complement one another so that good things happen one after another. It is necessary to actively establish the new concept of winwin, multi-win and all win principles and to discard the old mentality of youlose-I-win and winner-takes-all.

(2) Vision of Open, Cooperative, Win-Win, Integrated and Innovative Development

The Report to the 18th CPC National Congress stressed that China should persevere with an open, cooperative and win-win development, unswervingly keep up with an open-up strategy for mutual benefit and win-win results and promote strong, sustainable and balanced growth of the world economy through deepening cooperation. Speaking at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015, President Xi expounded on a vision of equitable, open, all-round and innovationdriven development and put forward a four-point policy recommendations of building up development capacities, improving international environment for development, updating partnership for development and strengthening coordination mechanisms for development, which made clear the direction of progress for global development and international cooperation.

The 5th Plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee put forward the concept of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development, which is useful not only for China’s economic development and social progress but also for global economic growth and international cooperation, conducive to coordination and positive interaction between the domestic environment for development and the international one.

(3) Creating a Community of Shared Interest Featuring Mutually Beneficial Win-Win Cooperation and Inclusive Common Progress

As President Xi Jinping observes, the deepening of economic globalization has linked the interests and destiny of all countries of the world closer together, forming a community of shared interest where in each there is a bit of other.

Xi Jinping pledges that China will continue to be an active contributor to global development and a vigorous promoter of South-South cooperation. It will continue to implement an open strategy for mutually beneficial winwin cooperation, actively honoring its international commitment and sharing its experience and opportunities with other countries of the world. It will deepen development partnerships at various levels, joining hands with other countries for common development and creating a community of shared development and interests so as to make fresh and still greater contributions to the global cause of development.

(4) “Security Depends on Win-Win Principles” and a New Win-Win Approach to Security Should Be Adopted

China holds that “security depends on win-win principles”. All countries should abandon the obsolete zero-sum security concept and handle international security issues on the basis of mutual respect and win-win cooperation. No country should seek its own security at the expense of that of other countries. China is resolutely opposed to actions that benefit oneself at others’expense, shift trouble onto others, and still less to say, that destabilize a region or even the whole world for the sake of selfish interests. China calls for fostering a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. All countries should follow the trend of our times by pursuing peace, development and win-win cooperation and develop a new, win-win approach to security that is built, shared and maintained by all.

It is clear that China has elevated the international security outlook with win-win cooperation, giving it more sense of progress of the times and tailoring it to today’s reality and opening a broader vista of international security cooperation.

(5) Persisting in a Sound Value of Righteousness and Benefit

In regard to the new situation and new tasks of developing China’s relations with developing countries and neighboring countries, President Xi Jinping stresses that China should adopt a sound value of righteousness and benefit in developing relations with these countries, upholding justice, standing for equity and putting righteousness first in political terms, and persisting in mutual benefit, win-win cooperation and common development in economic terms. For those neighboring countries and developing countries that are in long-standing friendship with China and in face of arduous development tasks, China will give more considerations to their interests and, in conducting cooperation with them, will give more and take less and give early and take late. China should never benefit itself at the cost of others or adopting a beggar-thy-neighbor policy.

The sound value of righteousness and benefit provides the construction of community of shared future for mankind with political direction and ethical support. Conversely, the latter provides the former with space of operation and concrete safeguard.

(6) Actively Taking up International Duty and Obligations in Creating a Beautiful Future of Win-Win Cooperation

China stands for countries assuming both rights and responsibilities, for helping each other out in times of difficulty, and for working together to address growing global issues such as climate change, energy and resources security, cyber security and major natural disasters, in a common endeavor to protect the planet which is so crucial to mankind’s survival. The Proposal of the CPC Central Committee for the Formulation of the 13th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development adopted by the 5th Plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee expounded in-depth on “actively takinginternational duty and obligations”, delivering a clear message to the outside world that China will play a more proactive, constructive role in the international arena by providing more public goods. To provide international assistance is taken for an important expression of China’s role as a responsible major country.

(7) Strengthening Cooperation in Common Maintenance of General Environment for Peace and Development and Creating a Community of Shared Responsibilities

It is necessary to maintain, in common, the general environment for peace and development. Regional turbulence courts disaster while stability in the neighborhood brings prosperity. Asia owes its progress to a peaceful and stable regional environment, and peace and stability are the fundamental safeguards for Asia’s development. The vision of peaceful coexistence should be passed on from generation to generation. A close neighbor is better than a kinsman afar, and close neighbors can become best friends. To achieve peace and stability in Asia, the Asian countries should build consensus, make active efforts and jointly fulfill their due responsibilities. The Asian countries should promote security dialogue and consultation, strengthen cooperation on non-traditional security issues including disaster management, maritime search and rescue, counterterrorism and combating transnational crimes, and actively explore the establishment of a regional security cooperation framework for Asia.

(8) Outlook of Greater Regional Cooperation for Joint Construction of the Belt and Road

President Xi Jinping puts forward the important strategic thinking of joint construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The Belt and Road is a road to win-win cooperation, which will bring about a closer association of economies en route, promote infrastructural construction and innovation on institutions and mechanisms of various countries, create new economic and job growth points, and enhance endogenous dynamics and anti-disaster capabilities of concerned economies.

In building the Belt and Road, it is necessary to strengthen interface of connectivity and development, also to uphold the principle of joint construction through consultation to meet the interests of all, and even more so pay attention to combining high and grand aspirations with planting the feet firmly on the ground. To aspire high and grand is to do a good job in top-down design of planning directional objectives and establishing a greater pattern of regional cooperation. To plant the feet firmly on the ground is to quicken the pace of consultation and to push forward cooperation projects, striving to realize a project as soon as conditions are ripe. The sooner the early harvest of substantial results is achieved in building the Belt and Road, the better to mobilize the initiative of all parties with guiding and demonstrating effects.

(9) Outlook of International Order Featuring Peace, Development, Equity, Justice and Win-Win Cooperation

At the rostrum of the UN general assembly, President Xi Jinping solemnly stated that China will always be a builder of world peace, sticking to the road of peaceful development. It will always be a contributor to global development, sticking to the road of shared development. It will always be a maintainer of the international order, sticking to the road of cooperative development, continuing to maintain the international order and the international system centering on the objectives and principles of the UN Charter, and continuing to stand by the host of developing countries and to support increased representation and say of developing countries and particularly African countries in the system of international governance.

Chinese diplomacy takes it for its responsibility to safeguard world peace and promote shared development, to promote the spirit of equality, mutual trust, learning from one another and win-win cooperation, and to uphold international equity and justice. China is a participant, builder and contributor to the international order.

(10) Global Governance Outlook Featuring Joint Consultation, Joint Construction and Sharing

At the 27th Study Session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on the pattern and institutions of global governance in December 2015, General Secretary Xi Jinping made an important speech in which he pointed out that the changes happen at a historical turning point in the global governance system, which is moving away from powers vying for interests and hegemony through war, colonizing and carving up spheres of influence as in the past centuries and being in evolution towards countries coordinating their relations and interests according to institutions and rules. Now, it is more and more necessary for the world affairs to be run through consultation of all countries. It has become the consensus of most of the countries to establish international mechanisms, to go by international rules and to seek international justice. Global challenges need to be dealt with by synergy and cooperation of various countries. As global challenges increase, it becomes an irresistible trend to strengthen global governance and to advance systemic changes on global governance.

Xi Jinping points out that bringing changes to global governance system cannot be separated from guidance of ideas. Making rules of global governance in reflection of more equitable and reasonable demands cannot be separated from absorbing all kinds of fine results of human civilization. It is necessary to promote innovative development of ideas for global governance and, in so doing, to dig on positive philosophy of life and governance thinking of Chinese culture and find their points of sympathy with the world today. It is necessary to continue to enrich propositions for building the community of shared future for mankind and to advocate global governance concepts featuring joint consultation, joint construction and sharing.