By Tao Wenzhao
Chinese diplomacy seems to have shifted into high gear this
autumn.
In October, for example, foreign dignitaries traveled to China
one after another in quick succession. Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe visited China two weeks after he took office; Republic
of Korea President Roh Moo-hyun and US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice came for the nuclear issue of North Korea. They
were followed by UN Secretary-General-to-be Ban Ki-moon and French
President Jacques Chirac. They had barely left when the China-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian
Nations) summit opened in Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
In November, important diplomatic activities have continued
unabated. The Beijing Summit of China-Africa Cooperation Forum was staged.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov toured to the Chinese
capital for regular talks with Premier Wen Jiabao and presided over the Year of Russia closing ceremony. Virtually at
the same time, US Under Secretary of State William Burns was in
town for US-China strategic talks with his Chinese counterparts.
Hot on their heels, US Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson is
expected in Beijing for Sino-American strategic economic
dialogue.
Moreover, President Hu Jintao is embarking on his tour of Southeast
Asia and the South Asian subcontinent.
Such high frequency of top diplomatic activities, which have
never been seen before in the history of the People's Republic of
China since its founding in 1949, signifies China's new diplomatic
posture.
A number of salient features stand out.
First, an all-round diplomacy is afoot. It covers developed
countries and the developing world, the countries in Asia, Africa,
Europe and America in pure geographical terms. It involves small
and big countries in terms of sheer size, and the countries on
China's periphery and those far away, in terms of distance.
Second, the diplomacy is based on mechanisms that are working
effectively. This kind of mechanism-based diplomacy finds
expression in regular meetings between the Chinese and Russian
premiers, the China-ASEAN summit, China-Africa Cooperation Forum,
the China-US strategic talks and China-US strategic economic
dialogue.
In addition to facilitating stability in bilateral relations,
the diplomatic mechanisms, in turn, are pushing China's ties with
these countries towards a more desirable direction. This is
manifested by the ever-improving relations between China and ASEAN
since entering the new century. In the course of regional or
sub-regional economic integration, for example, China and ASEAN are
working together on the Beibu Bay Economic Rim and the Mekong
Valley sub-regional economic development.
Third, multilateral diplomatic campaigns are being launched in
the context of regional integration picking up speed in the
post-Cold War era.
Gaining common ground with a host of countries on a string of
important issues helps cement China's good relations with them. The
latest examples are the China-ASEAN summit and the China-Africa
Cooperation Forum. Apart from this format of having dialogue
simultaneously with leaders from many countries, sending envoys to
a number of nations and addressing issues of overriding importance
is another important method of multilateral diplomacy. This is
demonstrated by the shuttle diplomacy used in the North Korean
nuclear crisis.
Fourth, security and economics constitute the two equally
important focuses of Chinese diplomacy.
The diplomatic maneuvering around the North Korean nuclear issue
is, of course, all about security. Whereas both security and
economics enjoyed equal priority on the agendas of the China-ASEAN
summit and the China-Africa Cooperation Forum.
This is evidenced in the slogan of the Beijing summit of the
forum: "Friendship, Peace, Cooperation, Development." All the
important documents signed at the conference point to this, too.
The participating African countries reiterated their commitment to
the "one-China" principle and their support for China's
reunification cause. Both China and Africa are working hard for
lasting peace in the world.
In the field of economics, China offers opportunities to Africa
and vice versa.
Nearly three decades of fast development have given China
sizeable economic strength, which means that the country is able to
provide a certain amount of aid to African nations, becomes a huge
market for African goods and can make investments on the African
continent.
?
As a matter of fact, contracts worth US$1.9 billion were signed
during the China-Africa summit. No wonder foreign media commented
that the capital flowing into Africa in the form of economic deals
outstrips for the first time the capital in the form of aid.
This indicates that China is engaged in economic activities that
help tap the internal potential of the African countries rather
than providing one-way aid.
And Africa presents great opportunities to China, given its
large population of 870 million, which means huge market potential,
and rich natural resources.
China-ASEAN and China-Africa undertakings have opened up a new
dimension for South-South Cooperation, with their mutually
beneficial economic ties dominating bilateral relations as a
whole.
Fifth, China's soft power is enhanced by diplomacy.
The country's experience in economic progress accumulated over
the last three decades since it embarked on the road of reform and
opening up in the late 1970s and its ideas on peaceful development
are attractive to the developing world.
In addition, its scientific outlook and the Chinese Government's
steps to improve governance may serve as a mirror for African
countries confronted with the overriding task of development.
The author is a researcher with the Institute of American
Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
(China Daily November 15, 2006)
