After the victory of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics embarked on a new journey.
From October 30 to November 4, the leaders of Vietnam, Pakistan, Tanzania and Germany visited China one after another, and China's home diplomacy opened a new situation, setting a number of "firsts" and "firsts", which are of great significance.
Then, from November 14 to 19, President Xi Jinping embarked on a high-profile tour of Southeast Asia. In 6 days and 5 nights, President Xi Jinping attended more than 30 events, becoming the most intensive and eye-catching head-of-state diplomacy carried out by China on multilateral occasions since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic.
"On the whole, whether it is a visit from other countries or our 'going out', the great power diplomacy in the new era has shown greater ambition, stronger innovation vitality and responsibility." Wang Fan, president of the China Foreign Affairs University, pointed out in an exclusive interview with The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) that under the current international situation in which the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is still continuing, the anti-globalization trend is back, and some countries are engaged in "closed small circles", China's voice and Chinese plan have injected new momentum into global development.
CNN, BBC and other international media commented that the G20 summit and the APEC leaders' informal meeting have become China's "diplomatic party", and President Xi Jinping's "whirlwind of meetings" will help resolve differences between countries and restart communication channels.
Wang Fan, Dean of the Foreign Affairs College
6 days 5 nights, more than 30 events
The Paper: During the recent G20 summit and APEC informal meetings, President Xi Jinping held intensive talks with leaders of many countries. From the perspective of expanding global partnerships, how to understand these bilateral meetings in which China participated, what are the main considerations?
Wang Fan: It can be seen that during these two multilateral diplomatic summits, the countries we met with included neighboring countries such as Indonesia and Thailand, developed countries such as the United States, France and Australia, and developing countries such as South Africa, Senegal and Argentina, covering Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Oceania.
Therefore, I do not think that the meetings in which we are participating are "selective" or specifically intentional, but mainly to expand the global partnership across the board with an open mind. At the same time, our partnership is not aimed at third parties, does not engage in ideological demarcation, and does not have exclusive "small circles".
However, there are also prerequisites for cooperation, and China insists on developing friendly cooperation with other countries on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. If certain countries do not respect China's sovereignty and core interests and interfere arbitrarily in China's system and national development path, under such circumstances, there is basically no prerequisite for cooperation, and it does not conform to the proper norms of interaction between countries.
The Paper: During the six-day and five-night itinerary, President Xi Jinping attended more than 30 activities. Overall, what is the main message we send to the world?
Wang Fan: The most important signal is that in the face of the current chaotic and intertwined international situation, the aggravation of the four major deficits of peace, development, security and governance, and the shirking of responsibilities by some countries, China is showing the history and mission of a responsible major country. The initiatives and pragmatic actions announced by China in these two diplomatic activities are the embodiment of responsibility.
At the same time, it also shows that we will continue to have a high level of openness. In recent years, China has proposed a "dual circulation" development pattern, which has led a few countries to misinterpret or deliberately misinterpret it as China wants to close the door to opening up. During these two summits, China stressed the need to continue opening up, and at a high level, which is a very important, positive and constructive message for the world.
Different from the "trade protectionism" and "America first" pursued by the United States in recent years, China, as the world's second largest economy, reaffirms the integrity and stability of the global supply chain and industrial chain, which also injects more new momentum, positive energy and certainty into the current world economic recovery and development.
On November 16, 2022, local time, Bali, Indonesia, the 17th G20 Summit officially concluded in Bali, Indonesia. The picture shows the exterior of the Bali Summit Media Center. China News Agency reporter Li Zhihua photo
More countries are looking forward to working with China
The Paper: Among the many bilateral meetings, the meeting between the Chinese and US heads of state has attracted a lot of attention. However, comparing the press releases issued by the two sides, it can be found that the content introduced by the Chinese side is very rich, while the content released by the White House is relatively brief. How do you see this difference?
Wang Fan: The US government may have its own hidden meaning, first of all, the Biden administration has clearly defined China as the "most important adversary" and "the most severe long-term challenge". Coupled with the strong consensus on China formed by the two parties in the United States, the expectations for this meeting in the United States are not high. Considering the political ecology in the United States, even if President Biden wants to emphasize the results of this meeting, he does not dare to make a big splash.
However, at the same time, US political circles are gradually realizing that it is necessary to avoid the competition between big powers such as China and the United States from getting out of control, and do not want to stalemate relations at this stage. Therefore, even if the United States claims to "decouple", considering that the cost of comprehensive "decoupling" is too high, it can only be partial "decoupling".
It needs to be pointed out that the biggest problem in the US side in viewing Sino-US relations is to adhere to the hegemonic mentality, unwilling to accept China's development, and not to recognize China's equal status and reasonable demands in Sino-US relations. This is specifically manifested as: slandering China's defense of its core interests in sovereignty as "expansion and showing strength"; Viewing China's active assumption of international responsibilities and strengthening its defense capability to defend sovereignty as China becoming more "aggressive" and "aggressive", and even as China challenging the United States' regional dominance and hegemony; China's emphasis on "no conflict and no confrontation" is seen as a strategy to cultivate obscurity.
If the United States does not change its wrong understanding of its China strategy and does not truly abandon the Cold War mentality, it will cause fundamental damage to Sino-US relations and will eventually harm the United States itself.
In contrast, China emphasizes the cooperation aspect of China-US relations and the major practical and far-reaching significance of bilateral cooperation for the two countries, the region and the world. Through this meeting, we once again expressed to the US side that we attach importance to bilateral relations and their global influence, and hope that the US side will return to the correct track of the development of Sino-US relations.
The Paper: After the meeting between the leaders of China and the United States, China also met separately with Australia, South Korea and Japan, its traditional allies. Prior to this, some US allies also released some positive signals to China. In the course of the meeting with Australia, South Korea and Japan, what are the different focuses of China's diplomatic work?
Wang Fan: China adheres to peaceful development, adheres to open regionalism, and promotes an open regional pattern. Develop relations with Asia-Pacific countries within the framework of cooperation under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
It should be noted that the allies of the United States are not "monolithic", each has its own demands, and they are all important trading partners of China. In fact, they do not want to "take sides" exactly as the United States wants. Allies are also increasingly realizing that the United States is more concerned with its own interests, which has led them to consider increasing their strategic autonomy.
The Paper: At the meeting between the leaders of China and France, the leaders of the two countries mentioned adhering to "independence and self-determination" diplomacy. How important is this point in the development of Sino-French and China-EU relations?
Wang Fan: Both China and France have a tradition of independence and self-determination, and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries is also an independent choice made during the period of confrontation between the two camps. Only by maintaining strategic autonomy and respecting the choices of other countries according to their own characteristics under the principle of independence and autonomy can it be conducive to their own development and cooperation among countries.
Both France and European countries have or will deeply feel the economic, political, livelihood and security damage caused to them. At the same time, Europe's hope lies in continuing to be open and cooperative, making the best choice according to its own realities, security demands and interests.
October 20, 2022, local time, Bangkok, Thailand, the symbol of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Panjachiti Park. People's visuals
"Asian Moment" and "China Solution"
The Paper: The G20 Summit and the APEC Economic Leaders' Informal Meeting herald the "Asian Moment" in global governance. In view of the current challenges of global and regional development, what kind of "China plan" do we propose? What are the key words and key points?
Wang Fan: During the two diplomatic summits, President Xi Jinping once again led global development issues and provided Chinese answers to the questions of the times: calling on all countries to establish a sense of a community with a shared future for mankind, advocate peace, development, cooperation and win-win results, and promote more inclusive, inclusive and resilient global development.
Among them, "inclusion" is a major keyword. This means that we advocate that all countries should work together to promote the construction of an open world economy; Oppose bloc politics and camp confrontation, treat neighbors as entrenchments, and engage in closed and exclusive "small circles".
At the same time, "inclusiveness" is also the focus of our emphasis. World prosperity and stability cannot be based on the poor getting poorer and the rich getting richer, we should pay attention to the interests of developing countries and provide more global public goods to help their development. This is reflected in China's initiative on international food security cooperation, its support for the African Union's accession to the G20, and China's total debt relief for developing countries, which is the largest among G20 members.
The Paper: We have noted that in response to Biden's absence from the APEC meeting for personal reasons, some public opinion in the United States said that Biden was ceding influence in the Asia-Pacific region to China. What do you think of this commentary and the role that the Asia-Pacific region currently plays in the global economy?
Wang Fan: Such public opinion in the United States still reflects its "zero-sum competition" mentality, that is, the expansion of one party's influence means the weakening of the other's influence. In fact, in the Asia-Pacific region, we are open to all countries and welcome the United States to play an active role in the region. Our strategic intentions are clear and transparent, and our actions are open, inclusive, mutually beneficial and win-win, mutual borrowing, mutual achievements, and common development.
At the same time, we must also recognize that the tide of cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region is irreversible, regardless of whether US leaders attend APEC meetings. Recently, a number of important international conferences have been held in Southeast Asian countries. In addition to the G20 Summit, the APEC Economic Leaders' Informal Meeting, and the earlier ASEAN Summit and East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, all show that the importance of Southeast Asia in the world political pattern has become more prominent.
At the global level, Southeast Asia's economic recovery is steady and improving, and there is a high probability that new interregional cooperation frameworks such as ASEAN and other countries will emerge in the future. At the level of regional architecture, ASEAN's centrality has continuously formed institutional arrangements, which provides the possibility for it to play the role of "super connector".
From a geopolitical perspective, the series of meetings showed that Asia is a region of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, a demonstration area of connectivity, and a booster of world economic stability. I also hope that Asia will not be disturbed by war and crisis, and will leave the greatest hope for world peace and development.
The Paper: During the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, President Xi Jinping announced that China is considering hosting the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation next year. Earlier, President Xi Jinping and President Jokowi also observed the experimental operation of the Yawan high-speed railway. Under the circumstances of slowing global economic growth and tense geopolitical situation, how to promote the high-quality development of the "Belt and Road"?
Wang Fan: Making the "Belt and Road" practical, deep and detailed is the key to promoting high-quality development, and it is also the common aspiration of countries along the "Belt and Road". From this point of view, the cooperation promoted by the "Belt and Road" is unstoppable.
In the past 10 years since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, a broad consensus of international cooperation has been formed to jointly build the Belt and Road, the level of infrastructure connectivity has been continuously improved, and a large number of mutually beneficial and win-win projects have been successfully implemented. Taking the Yawan high-speed railway, which is in the experimental operation stage, as the first high-speed railway in Southeast Asia, its completion will play a positive role in the overall development of the region, which is conducive to promoting tourism development, enhancing people-to-people exchanges and deepening economic and trade cooperation.
However, it should also be noted that a small number of countries have tried to "demonize" the initiative, hyped up "debt traps", etc., and further promoting the "Belt and Road" is also facing some new problems and challenges. There are also some new risks and uncertainties in overseas investment and the protection of national overseas interests.
Under the current increasing downward pressure on the global economy, the development of the "Belt and Road" should continue to innovate, while paying more attention to green development, digital economy development, and the use of high and new technologies. Generally speaking, adhering to the principle of mutual benefit and win-win results and carrying out more scientific and professional design of cooperation projects, the "Belt and Road" will bring long-term and far-reaching constructive impact to countries along the route.