The Guiding Thought and Overall Layout ofMajor-country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics in a New Era

By Yu Hongjun:



The Guiding Thought and Overall Layout ofMajor-country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics in a New Era

By Yu Hongjun:

Vice President of CPAPD And Former Vice Minister of the International Department, the CPC

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held in October 2017 sends out the mobilization order to the CPC and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups on achieving a decisive victory to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and winning the great victory of socialism with Chinese characteristics in a new era, but also declares to the international community the firm resolve of the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics aimed to promote the construction of new -type international relations, and promote building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

On October 18, 2017, the 19th National Congress of the CPC opened in Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Comrade Xi Jinping made a Report on behalf of the 18th Central Committee, the CPC. ( The photo from the Xinhua News Agency)

The guiding ideas and basic stance of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics

It is an important basis and prerequisite for China to have a correct understanding of the balance of international strength and to accurately grasp the development mega-trend of the world. In recent years, the geopolitical fission caused by conversion of the old pattern into a new pattern and the changing balance of strength in the world gets continuously fermented, various contradictions and conflicts cropping up here and there, threat of terrorism endangering the entire globe, the trend of international economic recovery being in uncertainty, human society is facing the intertwined traditional security issues with non-traditional security issues.

Facing the complicated situation of the world great developments, changes and adjustments, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core on the one hand, maintains the scientific judgment that the themes of the times are peace and development, and the basic estimates that peaceful development mega-trend is irreversible, on the other hand also clearly recognizes that the instability and uncertainty the world faces have become increasingly prominent, and the human kind meets with many common challenges. It is based on these judgments and analysis that General Secretary Xi Jinping calls on people all over the world to work together and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind, and work together to build a clean and beautiful world with lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness and inclusiveness.1

In order to realize such lofty ideal and goal, comrade Xi Jinping in the Report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC insists that in international affairs we should respect each other, discuss issues as equals, resolutely reject the Cold War mentality and power politics, and take a new approach to developing state-to-state relations with communication rather than confrontation, and with partnership rather than alliance, that we should respect the diversity of civilizations. In handling relations among civilizations, let us replace estrangement with exchange, clashes with mutual learning, and superiority with coexistence.2

The major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristic in a new era after all regards combination of the good quality of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation -- a just cause should be pursued for the common good -- with the universal pursuit by human civilization for peace and friendship as the guidance, regards giving consideration to both China’s own interests and the common interests of other countries in the world as the basic principle, and regards participating in globalization, seeking common development and guiding global governance to a higher level as the ultimate goal. In the Report to 19th National Congress of the CPC, comrade Xi Jinping made a solemn commitment to the international community: the development of China does not constitute a threat to any country. No matter what stage of development it reaches, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion.3

The Belt and Road Initiative is the priority among priorities of the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics

The Belt and Road Initiative President Xi Jinping put forward in 2013 occupies a very important position in the overall layout of the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era. The Belt and Road Initiative is both China- launched largest scale globe-wide action to guide the common development and progress of the world, but also the century measures to promote the healthy development of international relations, rational adjustment of international order, and upgrading of global governance. In short, to promote the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (the Belt and Road) is to set up a new platform for international cooperation and open up a pragmatic path to a community with a shared future for mankind.

To promote the Belt and Road Initiative should focus on policy, infrastructure, trade, financing, the people-to-people connectivity. Using bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms, China is vigorously creating economic corridors reaching out to surrounding areas, for example, China - Central Asia - West Asia Economic Corridor, China - Mongolia - Russia economic corridor, China - Pakistan economic corridor, China-Indo-China Peninsula Economic Corridor, Bangladesh - China - India - Burma economic corridor, the new Eurasian Continental Bridge Economic corridor, etc..

Over the past four years, the Belt and Road construction is on full speed ahead, greatly enhancing the level of pragmatic cooperation with countries along the routes. According to statistics, the total trade volume between China and the countries along the routes between the years 2014 and 2016 was 20 trillion RMB, and the growth rate was higher than the global average.4The direct investment of Chinese enterprises in countries along the routes is nearly US$60 billion. The agreements on the projects contracts with countries along the routs are worth US$304.9 billion in total. China has built 56 overseas economic and trade cooperation zones with 20 countries along the routes and invested more than US$18.5 billion in total, having created US$1.1 billion taxation and 180,000 jobs for the host countries.5In 2016, Chinese enterprises' overseas mergers and acquisitions were outstanding, totaling up to US$246 billion. China National Development Bank, and Import & Export Bank issued US$110 billion loans to countries along the Belt and Road. China with 22 countries along the routes have signed currency exchange agreements totaling more than 900 billion RMB.

Building a framework of major county relations for the overall stable and balanced development

China has always pursued an independent foreign policy of peace, and to establish and develop an all-directional and multi-level global partnership has always been the direction of the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. The relationship between major countries has an indisputable significance in the international relations system, so China attaches great importance to the major- country relations. In his report to the 19th National Congress, the CPC, comrade Xi Jinping makes it clear that China should push forward the coordination and cooperation of major countries and build a framework of major-county relations for stable and balanced development.6

1. Inject new impetus into the China-U.S. new-type major-county relations

The Sino-U.S. relations occupies a special position in the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. How the Sino-U.S. relations develops is related to the interests of the two countries and also touches on the whole international relations. In order to promote the construction of a new-type major-country relationship between China and the United States, Xi Jinping, as the head of state, has made great efforts with painstaking labor. The new-type major-country relationship between China and the United States has achieved a series of periodical progress.

In June 2013, heads of state of China and the United States held a Manor meeting in California, having planned the development of Sino-U.S. relations and pursued the cooperation across the Pacific. In November 2014, the two heads of state held Ying'tai meeting in Beijing. In September 2015, President Xi Jinping visited the United States, and the leaders of China and the United States met again. In April 2017, the leaders of China and the United States held a successful meeting in Mar-a-Largo resort, Florida. After the 19th National Congress of the CPC, President Trump became the first foreign head of state received by President Xi Jinping in Beijing. The major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics has won speedy success in meeting with the new changes in Sino-U.S. relations, and ironing out a new pattern of Sino-U.S. relations, and has great repercussions in the world.

The establishment of a new-type major-country relationship between China and the United States is not only in the fundamental interests of the two countries, but also has the realistic pragmatic basis and conditions. At present, more than 90 governmental dialogue mechanisms are formed between China and the United States, as well as 40 pairs of sister provinces and more than 200 pairs of sister cities formulated, between the two countries are more than 4 million visitors each year, trade volume reaches about US$500 billion, the highest close to US$600 billion, the stock of two-way investment is more than US$100 billion.

2. Promoting China-Russia strategic cooperation partnership to continuously take a new higher step

Russia is a very influential power in the world today. The China-Russia strategic partnership has gone through more than 20 years, withstood the tests of the changes in each domestic situation and the changes of the international situation, and shown a good prospect for development. In 2013, as the head of state, President Xi Jinping chose Russia for his first overseas state visit. The two sides confirmed that the central task to develop Sino-Russian relations is to increase mutual political support, expand pragmatic cooperation across the board and strengthen coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs.

After outbreak of the Ukraine crisis in 2014, the relationship between Russia and the Western countries was fully tense. President Xi Jinping traveled to Sochi to participate in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, giving strong political and moral support to Russia. In 2015, China and Russia published two documents, the joint statement on cooperation docking the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt with the Eurasian Economic Union, and the joint statement on deepening the comprehensive strategic and coordinate partnership and advocating win-win cooperation.

In recent years, China-Russia economic and trade volume has not achieved its intended target due to many factors, such as the general contraction of international trade volume and the decline of Russian economy, however, the fundamentals of the two countries' economic complementarity and dynamic cooperation have not changed. The two sides still have great cooperation potential for maintaining regional peace and stability, promoting regional security cooperation and jointly participation in global governance. The continuous consolidation and development of China-Russia comprehensive strategic and coordinate partnership is in line with the overall situation of the bilateral relations and the trend of the times, and is also an important factor in safeguarding international security.

3. Adhering to jointly shaping the China-EU four partnerships

The European Union is the largest regional states organization in the world, and has a unique role and influence in regional and international affairs. As the world's two forces, two markets and two civilizations, China-EU relations are not only one of the most important bilateral relations in the world, but also one of the key directions of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and EU over the past 40 years, more than 60 dialogues and consultative mechanisms have been set up, covering all areas of China- EU cooperation.

In 2013, China and EU issued the China-EU Cooperation 2020 Strategic Plan. In March 2014, when President Xi Jinping visited European countries, he visited the EU headquarters for the first time. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between China and EU in 2015, President Xi Jinping said while meeting with the European Parliament President that China firmly supports the construction of European integration and always views European development as an important part of the multipolarization process. The China-EU interests get deeply integrated, and the four partnership of peace, growth, reform and civilization has developed on the basis of the consensus of the two sides.7

Currently, the EU's own development suffered a major setback, the internal contradictions and problems are too difficult to be solved now. The process of European integration has been disturbed and impacted. Nevertheless, in spite of this, the originate vision for Chinese-EU strategic partnership does not change, is currently giving active considerations for establishment of the China-EU joint investment fund, giving a push to European Fund for Strategic Investment, and further expanding cooperation with Europe in the fields such as new and high-tech, infrastructure, financing and others.

Deepening the peripheral relations and creating a good neighborly environment

China is the country with the most complex surrounding environment in the world. In recent years, the position of peripheral diplomacy has become more prominent in the overall layout of the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. In the Report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC, comrade Xi Jinping states, China will deepen relations with neighboring countries in accordance with the amity, sincerity, benefits and inclusiveness concept and with diplomatic principles of keeping friendship and partnership with neighbors.

The Central Asian region, which connects Asia, Europe and Africa three continents, is very unique in its geo-strategic position, and also is the key area that China advocates and promotes the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt. Historically, this region is the hedge zone of a various civilizations and cultures that integrate and collide with each other, and is also an important transit place for the ancient Silk Road and personnel exchanges. In addition, the natural resources of Central Asia are abnormally rich, especially the reserves of petroleum and natural gas are considerable. In addition to economic cooperation, China's political relations and counter-terrorism cooperation with Central Asian countries are also very close. The interests ties between China and Central Asian countries are becoming more and more consolidated. The sense of a China-Central Asia community with a shared future is accelerating.

ASEAN, composed of ten countries in Southeast Asia, is the most dynamic regional cooperation organization in the surrounding areas of China. President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to China's relations with ASEAN and visits Southeast Asian countries many times. For more than 20 years since the end of the cold war, the relationship between China and ASEAN has been developing well. In view of the development in the next ten years, China has put forward the "2+7 cooperation framework": i.e., based on the two-point consensus of deepening the strategic mutual trust and focusing on economic development, and promoting the seven-field cooperation in politics, security, economy and trade, finance, interconnectivity and interoperability, maritime and humanities.

In recent years, President Xi Jinping has made visits with far-reaching importance to South Korea, Mongolia, India, Pakistan and other neighboring countries. In the summer of 2014, President Xi Jinping on his visit to South Korea put forward four points: China and South Korea should adhere to neighborliness and friendship, adhere to mutually beneficial cooperation, adhere to peace and stability and adhere to cultural exchanges, having directly contributed to the establishment of China and South Korea free trade area. During a visit to Mongolia, President Xi Jinping advocated China and Mongolia with mutual trust forever become good neighbors, good partners and good friends, and together with Mongolian leaders jointly determined to promote the three-in-one overall development pattern of mutually beneficial cooperation in mineral resources development, infrastructure construction, and financial cooperation. While visiting India, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi had an in-depth communication to jointly work for a future of bilateral relations and push forward the complex and delicate relationship between China and India. During a visit to Pakistan in 2015, President Xi Jinping focused on consolidating the China-Pakistan traditional friendship, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, promoting the Belt and Road benchmarking projects, strengthening bilateral cooperation in combating terrorism, and jointly safeguarding regional security.

Be a reliable friend and true partner of the developing countries forever

China is the largest developing country in the world, and the developing countries are China's natural partners and political backing on the international arena. Solidarity with and reliance on the vast number of the developing countries is a fine tradition of China's diplomacy in the past, and is now a unique advantage of the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. In the Report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC, comrade Xi Jinping states that China will, guided by the principle of upholding justice while pursuing shared interests and the principle of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good faith, work to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries.8

President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the traditional friendship between China and the developing countries. In March 2013 after becoming China’s President, Xi Jinping immediately visited Africa, and came up with a four-phrase principle, "sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith", namely treating African friends with sincerity, developing cooperation for practical results, strengthening friendship in affinity and solving problems in cooperation with good faith. President Xi Jinping puts forward a series of new initiatives on aid to Africa. One is to establish cross-border trans-regional cooperation partnerships for infrastructure construction to help carry out preparatory work for the interconnectivity projects; two is to provide US$20 billion loans, prioritizing on infrastructure building; three is through financing, assistance and cooperation to encourage China’s enterprises and institutions to participate in Africa's infrastructure construction and operation.9These measures have produced a good response in Africa and the world at large.

In the summer of 2013, President Xi Jinping visited Latin America for the first time. The visit fully reflects the respect for the China-Latin American traditional friendship and the importance attached to the Latin American countries by the new Chinese leaders. President Xi Jinping announced that China would closely unite with, give mutual support to each other and cooperate sincerely with Latin American and Caribbean countries, so as to work hand in hand on the road to prosperity and development. In 2014, President Xi Jinping paid the second visit to Latin America. China and Brazil and other countries signed more than 150 contracts and framework agreements, worth about 70 billion US dollars, covering energy and resources development, infrastructure construction and many other areas. The financial cooperation between China and Latin America is officially launched.

In 2015, at the first ministerial meeting of China-CELAC Forum held in Beijing, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech, put forward four proposals for China-Latin America cooperation: first, adhere to the principle of equal cooperation; second, adhere to the win-win cooperation objectives; third, adhere to flexible and diverse forms of cooperation; fourth, adhere to the cooperation of openness and inclusiveness.10The Latin American countries highly appreciate this.

In November 2014, President Xi Jinping visited Fiji. This is the first visit China's top leader made to the South Pacific island country, which means that China's peripheral diplomacy has expanded to the remote South Pacific region. President Xi Jinping and the leaders of South Pacific countries jointly announced that the two sides should establish a strategic partnership of mutual respect and common development.

In international affairs, China persists in being a representative of the developing countries, and upholding justice for the developing countries, which is deeply supported and appreciated by the developing countries. In report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC, comrade Xi Jinping announced that "China will increase assistance to other developing countries, especially the least developed countries, and do its part to reduce the North-South development gap". China will continue to "support the efforts of other developing countries to increase their representation and strengthen their voice in international affairs".11It is believed that under the guidance of this thinking, the friendly relations and fine traditions between China and the vast number of the developing countries will be further developed.

Holding the banner of multilateralism high to lead the construction of new-type international relations

In recent years, isolationism and conservatism are popular in the international arena, unilateralism and anti-globalization trend runs rampant, and hegemonism and power politics still show serious manifestations. As always, China continues to adhere to multilateralism and attach importance to the role of multilateral organizations and mechanisms represented by the United Nations. Rich and colorful, multilateral diplomacy has become an important part of the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, and an important platform for China to promote the establishment of new-type regional cooperation pattern and new-type global governance mode, as well as leads the new round of globalization and copes with the mega-changes in international relations.

The United Nations is the largest, most authoritative and representative intergovernmental organization in the world. Strengthening cooperation with the United Nations and its related institutions is the primary link for China's major country diplomacy and multilateral diplomacy. In 2014, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang visited UNESCO headquarters and UNFAO headquarters in succession. They opened a new prospect for China to expand cooperation and deepen cooperation with the United Nations and its related institutions. In September 2015, President Xi Jinping attended activities in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, which once again demonstrated the strong support of the Chinese government for the cause of the United Nations and had a positive impact both at home and abroad.

The group of 20 (G-20) is a new multilateral mechanism composed of developed countries and emerging market economies after the cold war, and has three functions of managing the global economy, coping with development issues and improving global governance. China attaches great importance to the role and influence of this multilateral mechanism, and is becoming more and more active in the G20 activities. For example, at the 8th summit of G20, President Xi Jinping, on behalf of China, appealed to all countries in the world to strive to shape a world economy featuring development innovation, growth linkage and interests integration, and to firmly uphold and develop the open world economy and build closer economic partnerships. At the 9th Summit of G20, President Xi Jinping suggested that all parties should make joint efforts from the three perspectives of innovating development models, building an open world economy and improving global governance

China attaches great importance to the special role of the APEC leaders' informal meeting in promoting regional trade and investment liberalization and strengthening economic and technological cooperation. In 2013, President Xi Jinping, as China's new head of state, attended the APEC meeting for the first time and made a great impression on the international community. In 2014, the 22nd APEC meeting held in Beijing, President Xi Jinping as the host made a comprehensive exposition on the Chinese dream interconnected with the Asia-Pacific dream and the world dream, leaving a more objective and rational understanding of rationality and reality of the Chinese dream to the international community, which has deeper feelings and impressions of historical inevitability and irreversibility of the great rejuvenation of China. This meeting becomes the largest and most fruitful one in the history of APEC.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a new-type regional cooperation organization sponsored and led by China, and with the headquarters based in China. China attaches great importance to the irreplaceable role and influence of the SCO. In 2013, President Xi Jinping attended the SCO summit for the first time, clearly puts forward to build the SCO into a community with a shared future and a community of interests, advocates within the SCO opening of logistics corridor, the signing of trade and investment facilitation agreement, strengthening financial cooperation, setting up a energy club, establishing food security cooperation mechanism. At the 2014 SCO summit, President Xi Jinping put forward four new proposals, i.e. regarding safeguarding regional security and stability as the mission, achieving common development and prosperity as the goal, promoting the people-to-people interconnection as the purpose, and expanding exchanges and cooperation with foreign countries as the driving force.

BRICS is an emerging market economies cooperation mechanism, is a product of profound changes in the world's strategic architecture and balance of strength. Promoting the BRICS to pragmatically cooperate and coordinate on the international stage is of great significance not only for the BRICS development, but also produces immeasurable impact on the trend of international relations. In September 2017, President Xi Jinping hosted the 9th Summit of the BRICS leaders in Xiamen, planned a grand blueprint and development goals in order to build the next golden decade for the BRICS cooperation, thus the BRICS cooperation is going to a new height.

China is making greater contributions to the progress of human kind

The Chinese nation should make greater contributions to the progress of mankind, which is the lofty will and the sacred aspiration of the CPC forever. Recently at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High Level Meeting, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that the idea of a community with a shared future for mankind is based on the fact that destiny and future of each and every nation and country are interlocked, and also on the ideal of “a just cause should be pursued for the common good “. In order to endeavor to build a world of universal security free from fear, endeavor to build a world of common prosperity free from poverty, endeavor to build an open and inclusive world free from isolation and endeavor to build a green, clean and beautiful world, the CPC as always makes unremitting efforts for world peace and tranquility, common development and mutual learning. In a foreseeable period to come, the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics will have greater development and greater effect, will further influence and affect the restructuring of the world pattern and the reshaping of the international order. The new era that China plays greater role in the center of the world stage is coming!

1.Xi Jinping, “Secure a Decisive Victory in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects and Strive for the Great Success of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”, People’s Publishing House, October 2017, First Edition.

2.Ibid.

3.Ibid.

4.Guo Ying, Su Budao, “Upgrade China’s Foreign Languages Capability and Service under the Backdrop of the Belt and Road”,No.6, 2017.

5.Xu Hao, Xie Wei, “China Leads Globalization, the Belt and Road and Builds a Community with a Shared Future”,, April 3, 2017.

6. Xi Jinping, “Secure a Decisive Victory in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects and Strive for the Great Success of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”, People’s Publishing House, October 2017, First Edition.

7. Xi Jinping meets with President of European Parliament Martin Schulz in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xinhuan News Agency, March 16.

8. Xi Jinping, “Secure a Decisive Victory in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects and Strive for the Great Success of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”, People’s Publishing House, October 2017, First Edition.

9.Xi Jinping, “Be a Reliable Friend and True Partner Forever – Speech at the Tanzania Nyerere International Conference”, People’s Daily, March 26, 2013, P2.

10.http:/www.chinanews.com/gn/2015/01-08/6949796.shtm.l.

11Xi Jinping’s Speeches at the Series of Events for the 70thAnniversary of the Founding of the United Nations”, Beijing , People’s Publishing House, 2015 edition.