.
Addressing the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs held in Beijing in June 2018, President Xi Jinping put forward his “Thought on Diplomacy of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” to serve as a guide to all those dealing with Chinese diplomacy.
The president said that the goal of diplomatic work is to promote world peace and common development, to build a community offering a shared future for mankind and to safeguard the country’s sovereignty, security and development interests.
He also underlined the importance of keeping in mind both domestic and international imperatives.
Xi argued that in this new era–marked by profound global changes and rapid developments at home – China needs to strike a delicate balance between performing its duties in global governance and managing its domestic affairs.
Since the focus is now on a comprehensive deepening of reform, China’s diplomacy is asked to serve this overarching task as well.
As the country needs a clear understanding of its role and position in the world, an in-depth assessment and analysis of the international situation are necessary to expand China’s strategic space in the world.
This will allow China to take an active role in leading reforms of the global governance system and in building a more complete network of global partnerships.
With countries now seeking common development and win-win partnerships on the basis of mutual respect, President Xi proposed the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
The purpose is to help make the global governance system fairer and the development of the Belt and Road Initiative a resounding success. He also highlighted furthering the country’s foreign relations with major powers, neighbouring countries and developing countries.
A particular aspect of these relations is the economic diplomacy highlighted by the US-China trade war.
As is the case with any war, the US-China trade dispute is not only hurting the economies of the two antagonists but is also adversely affecting those of other nations involved in the supply chain.
Economic experts believe that a slowdown of the Chinese economy, induced by the trade war, would have a negative impact on their economic well-being as well.
The shock waves have been widely felt. As China needs a stable external environment for its long-term economic and social development, its relations with neighbouring and other developing countries should be further improved, instead of damaged due to the trade war.
As the Chinese government said: “the trade war, which was initiated by the United States as an act of irresponsibility, will cast shadows on the growth of the world economy.”
As far as the relations of China with major countries are concerned, since they are the backbone of the international community and a decisive developmental factor, they ought to be dealt with much precaution and ingenuity.
It is therefore imperative that China properly handles the divergences and conflicts with its neighbours while maintaining healthy and stable relations with major countries.
The elements of success are there. China has endured lots of tests and trials, won many tough battles and accumulated valuable experience.
Taking a cue from the Belt and Road Initiative, which has become the largest platform for international cooperation and a tool for wide consultations, I am tempted to take a philosophical approach and mention that it originates from the concept of Confucius: to achieve success, one should let others succeed as well.
If we expand this view, this philosophical dimension, prevailing in ancient China, can also be found in President Xi’s vision of diplomacy.
His views are reminiscent of the concept of ‘real thought’ developed by the pre-Socratic Greek philosophers, which consists of the ‘explanation’, the ‘understanding’ and the ‘clarification’.
The explanation helps us to diagnose the reasons behind a problem, while the understanding helps us to correctly assess its importance. Lastly, the clarification helps us to reach full knowledge of the difficulties while allowing us to recognise any possible mistakes which need correction.
I can see these components of ‘real thought’ in President Xi’s speech on foreign affairs. These thoughts are valid not only for the Chinese diplomats but for all of us as well.
