Wang Yiwei
He is a researcher at the National Institute of Development and Strategy, Renmin University of Chinese
Qian Xiu
School of International Relations, Chinese National University
The Central Foreign Affairs Work Conference held at the end of 2023 pointed out that in response to a series of major issues and challenges facing the world today, we advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and inclusive economic globalization. A multipolar world in an equal and orderly manner means upholding the equality of all countries, big or small, opposing hegemonism and power politics, and earnestly promoting the democratization of international relations. To ensure the overall stability and constructiveness of the multipolarization process, it is necessary to jointly abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, uphold the universally agreed basic norms governing international relations, and practice true multilateralism.
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China's diplomatic ideology of advocating an equal and orderly multipolar world is rooted in China's excellent culture
Historically, "peace under the rule of Britain" and "peace under the rule of the United States" could not solve the practical dilemma of Western-style global governance, and the world has suffered from pseudo-multilateralism for a long time! Why has China been able to put forward "Chinese-style multilateralism" that stresses fairness, development, and harmony? The answer to the so-called "those who seek the elders of the wood must consolidate their roots, and those who want to flow far must dredge their springs." The answer can be found in the wisdom of China's excellent traditional culture.
China is a non-monotheistic country where Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism coexist, and the diplomatic ideology of advocating an equal and orderly multipolar world is rooted in the excellent Chinese culture represented by Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism: the equality of all beings is the ideological premise, the cultivation of Qi and peace is the logic of action, and the logic of non-action and non-contention is the logic of discourse.
Buddhism governs the mind and the equality of all living beings provides the ideological premise for Chinese-style multilateralism. China upholds the equality of all countries, big or small, in international affairs, resolutely opposes any form of hegemonism and power politics, and advocates that all countries treat each other as equals and respect each other. Buddhism also focuses on compassion, and the Bodhisattva's "not seeking happiness for oneself, but wishing all beings to be free from suffering" provides a guideline for resolving the gap between the north and the south, as well as turmoil and conflict. In the international community, China not only respects the sovereignty of other countries, but also provides a large amount of assistance to developing countries to promote development and peace, and provides vaccines to the world, especially developing countries, free of charge during the pandemic.
Since ancient times Chinese, China has advocated the spiritual pursuit of "virtue is not lonely, there must be neighbors", adhered to the way of life of "kindness and good-neighborliness, faith and harmony", and pursued the principle of "pursuing both righteousness and benefit, taking righteousness first". There is a saying in the Analects: "The gentleman is harmonious but different, and the villain is the same but not harmonious." "One refers to harmonious coexistence, and first give respect to others (Xiuqi). China emphasizes harmonious coexistence in the international arena, advocates respect for the political and social systems of different countries, advocates multilateralism and diversity, and does not interfere in internal affairs or impose its own values. The second refers to peaceful development and positive action (peace). China advocates peaceful development, stresses the need to resolve international disputes through peaceful means such as cooperation, consultation and negotiation, refrains from the use of force to resolve problems, and works with other countries to maintain international and regional peace and security. On the contrary, "sameness but not harmony" is a kind of discursive hegemony that annihilates differences and ignores the existence of diversity. In order to promote the democratization of international relations and ensure the orderly and stable process of multipolarization, China has actively played a leading role in promoting a more rational global governance system. "The Book of Rites: Confucius's Idle Residence" said, "The sky is selfless, the earth is selfless, and the sun and the moon are selfless." Therefore, Chinese-style multilateralism adheres to the concept of "no one outside the world", advocates self-reliance, openness and inclusiveness, and aims to achieve universal harmony.
With the rise of China and the vast number of emerging economies, negative attacks such as "subverting the existing international order" and "China threat theory" are rampant, but China will never seek hegemony. The reason why Jiang Hai can be the king of a hundred valleys is because of his goodness, so he can be the king of a hundred valleys. With its indisputability, the world can not compete with it. It means that big countries must respect small countries and treat other countries well in order to accommodate all rivers. China proposes the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom for all mankind, understands the value connotation of different civilizations with a broad mind, respects the exploration of their own development paths by the people of different countries, promotes the common values of all mankind contained in the Chinese civilization, transcends the narrow historical limitations of the so-called "universal values", and embodies the value pursuit of a community with a shared future for mankind.
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Clarify the similarities and differences between the Chinese and European views of multilateralism from the perspective of cultural heritage
In addition to China, the EU also advocates and pursues multilateralism, but there are many differences between China and the EU. We can clarify the similarities and differences between the Chinese and European views on multilateralism from the perspective of cultural heritage, mainly from the following five basic issues.
1. What is multilateralism? The multilateralism advocated by China is a new type of international order based on the cultural logic of the integration of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, with respect for diversity as the ideological premise, extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits as the basic principle, and building a community with a shared future for mankind as the core value. Although the EU is a typical case of multilateralism, the liberal idea based on the individual standard, follows the logical orientation of individual interest maximization, and focuses on how multilateralism as a tool can serve the EU's strategy and global values to the greatest extent.
2. What is the scope of multilateralism? China stresses that the "domain" of multilateralism does not include matters that are purely sovereign and internal affairs. With regard to new frontier areas such as the polar regions, the deep sea, outer space, and the Internet, it is emphasized that "we should uphold the principles of peace, sovereignty, universal benefit, and co-governance, and turn the deep sea, polar regions, outer space, and the Internet into new frontiers for all parties to cooperate, rather than arenas for mutual games." The EU's multilateralism refers to areas of EU specificity or exclusivity: peace and security, human rights and the rule of law, sustainable development, public health, and climate change. Especially in areas of leadership and dominance, the EU tends to be standard-setter and order-maintainer, such as taxation, digitalization and artificial intelligence. In addition, the EU's multilateralism is naturally embedded with bilateral factors – member states and EU institutions cooperate with each other at the same time, but the autonomy of the EU's exclusive rights or sharing rights is different in different areas.
At present, the practice of multilateralism is facing challenges: the function of the multilateral system has weakened, the domestic foundation of multilateralism has been shaken, and some countries have openly undermined and abandoned multilateralism. Both China and the EU attach importance to true multilateralism, and China believes that humanity is one and the earth is a home. In the face of common challenges, no one and no country can be immune from it, and there is only one way out for mankind to work together and coexist in harmony. Multilateralism is an element engraved in the EU's DNA, and the EU is worried that the bipolarity between China and the United States or the disorderly multipolarity of the world will undermine multilateralism, and the world is facing the "paradox of multipolarity without multilateralism", and the EU needs to promote an alternative model of international order other than great power competition.
4. Why Should We Promote Multilateralism? China's vigorous promotion of multilateralism stems from a change in its international status and outlook. Since the beginning of the 21st century, China's international status has been continuously improved, and its positive and enterprising attitude has prompted China to seek happiness for all mankind and development for the whole world. However, China has a clear view of its role, recognizing that "all the global problems facing humanity cannot be solved by any one country alone, and global action, global response, and global cooperation must be carried out." "The promotion of multilateralism is an inevitable requirement for respecting the sovereignty of all countries, advocating the democratization of international relations, and emphasizing the autonomy of destiny. The EU's push for multilateralism is based on a variety of reasons – history, reality – and the future. The history of the European balance of power also provides the ideological source of multipolarization and multilateralism; the success of post-war European integration has brought Europe back to prosperity, and multilateralism has become a typical path and genetic marker for shaping and expanding the EU system, norms, values, and influence; in the future, the realization of the strategic concept of "global Europe" also needs multilateralism as a legitimacy support and solution.
5. How to Promote Multilateralism? The logic of China's diplomacy is to "change itself and influence the world." The same is true for the promotion of multilateralism. President Xi Jinping stressed that "we must do our own things well, which in itself is a contribution to building a community with a shared future for mankind." We should also create more opportunities for the world by promoting China's development, explore the laws of human social development by deepening our own practice, and share them with other countries in the world. "Extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits is the path of multilateralism, which aims to truly achieve equality of rights, opportunities and rules, and is the most inclusive multilateral. The EU, on the other hand, does not rule out the use of coercive means to promote multilateralism, and "sanctions vs. consultation" and "bilateral vs. multilateral" go hand in hand. "The EU uses every tool at its disposal, including its broad political, diplomatic and financial support, to promote world peace and security, defend human rights and international law, and promote multilateral solutions to global challenges," Borrell declared. The EU must step up its capacity to move from 'delivering as one' to 'delivering as one' and make better use of its collective strength."
Source: Beijing Daily
WeChat editor: Zhang Jingjing
The National Development Institute of the People's Republic of China is a new type of university think tank with Chinese characteristics that the Chinese University focuses on building with the efforts of the whole university, and the current chairman is Zhang Donggang, secretary of the party committee of the university, and the current president is Lin Shangli, the current president. In 2015, it was selected as one of the first batch of pilot units for the construction of "National High-end Think Tanks" in China, and was selected as one of the top 100 think tanks in the world, and ranked first in the "Top 100 Think Tanks of Chinese Universities" in early 2018. In 2019, it was selected as the first echelon in the comprehensive evaluation of national high-end think tanks, and was the only university think tank selected for the first echelon.
The National Development Institute of the People's Republic of China is actively building a high-end think tank platform with "new platform, large network, interdisdisciplinary, cross-cutting, promoting innovation and high output". Focusing on the four major research fields of economic governance and economic development, political governance and rule of law construction, social governance and social innovation, public diplomacy and international relations, it has gathered high-quality resources of first-class disciplines in the university, and has achieved remarkable results in infrastructure construction, decision-making consultation, public diplomacy, theoretical innovation, public opinion guidance and internal governance. With the goal of becoming a "leader of a new type of university think tank with Chinese characteristics", the National Development Institute is rooted in the land of China, adheres to the national strategy, adheres to the mission of the times, and is committed to building a world-class university think tank with global influence.