What is China's foreign policy looking for?

By Tom Fowdy
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, March 14, 2022
Adjust font size:
A view of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi held a virtual press conference on the sidelines of the Fifth Session of the 13th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People last week, answering questions from Chinese and foreign media about China's foreign policy and external relations. 

In his opening remarks, Wang commented that as a "responsible major country, China will continue to hold high the banner of multilateralism" and pledged to "work with all peace-loving and development-seeking countries to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, jointly meet challenges, and continue to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind." Finally, he vowed to "strive together for a brighter and better future for the world."

China's foreign policy, as with most things pertaining to the country today, is gravely misunderstood. As the country has developed, many have tried to frame its role in the world as a simple metric of seeking hegemony or dominance, or for that matter, as a zero-sum rivalry with the United States. Such comments are simplistic – not only do they fail to tell us what China wants, or in which direction it wants to go, but also where it came from. As Wang Yi noted in his press conference, the country has "interests," as does every other country. These metrics, however, explain little as to what China's vision for its own foreign policy is.

China is sometimes referred to as "New China." If something is referred to as "new," which means by a logic of contrast, it is posited against something old or defunct. China understands itself through the vision of having remade China as a revolutionary state, aiming to make a modern, developed, capable, and functional state. This bears direct connotations to the country's foreign policy itself, as China experienced "the century of humiliation" and was quasi-colonized at the hands of European powers. 

Against the backdrop of this legacy, China frames itself through "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," that is, the reversal of this legacy of humiliation through the rise and development of the country. This translates into a foreign policy which, unlike those past times, places emphasis on ensuring the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of China and emphasizes that these factors are understood and respected accordingly. 

This foundation helps us understand how China engages with other countries, too: The legacy of post-colonialism, the rejection of Western imperialism, and the hope for national revival have given way to a foreign policy doctrine of "non-alignment," anti-hegemonism, and solidarity with the global south. China stresses that it does not believe in hegemony in the way countries such as the U.S. do. It does not seek to form alliances or divisive blocs and, in turn, promotes multilateralism as its preferred means of engagement. Through this, China reaches out and partners with like-minded countries in the global south who have faced similar historical situations and are also seeking to develop. The BRICS forum is an important avenue for this. 

In conjunction, China also sees securing a stable international environment and increasing engagement as its most important objectives in securing not only development for itself, but others too. This has led China's foreign policy to pursue multilateral development-based initiatives, which have most famously consisted of the Belt and Road initiative (BRI), while also forming a growing number of free trade agreements (FTAs) with other countries. This strategy is what China has described as a "community of a shared future for mankind," which facilitates the premise that economic growth and prosperity are not a zero-sum game but a global initiative, urging countries to work and cooperate together as opposed to confronting one another.

This leads to China frequently rejecting what is described as a "Cold War mentality." Despite hostility shown to it by the United States, Beijing's foreign policy continues to urge a stable and predictable relationship with Washington, one which avoids confrontation and global division. Ultimately, this can all be summarized into a policy that is built on caution and pragmatism, as opposed to adventurism or recklessness. This reflects the state carefully balancing the overlap between its national priorities and, in turn, its priorities overseas. 

China's ultimate goal is to ensure the continued development of the Chinese nation and to create what has been described as a "moderately prosperous society," which requires it to play a role in the world that is not detrimental to this fact, but instead makes it possible. It is about improving the fortunes and lives of the people. China has, of course, its own national interests and sets out its positions very clearly, but seeks to approach these issues with respect and understanding, as opposed to whipping up trouble or confrontation. Wang's press conference reflected some of these longstanding principles and how they continue to invite the world to engage with China.

Tom Fowdy is a British political and international relations analyst and a graduate of Durham and Oxford universities. For more information please visit: 

http://www.ccgp-fushun.com/opinion/TomFowdy.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. 

Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation.
ChinaNews App Download
Print E-mail Bookmark and Share

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

No comments.

Add your comments...

  • User Name Required
  • Your Comment
  • Enter the words you see:   
    Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.
Send your storiesGet more from China.org.cnMobileRSSNewsletter
主站蜘蛛池模板: 两个人日本WWW免费版| 亚洲av无码片在线播放| 精品综合久久久久久888蜜芽 | 国产精品久久久久国产精品三级| aa级女人大片喷水视频免费| 性猛交╳xxx乱大交| 久久99精品久久久久子伦| 日韩视频免费看| 亚洲乱码无码永久不卡在线| 欧美激欧美啪啪片sm| 亚洲色图第四色| 看全色黄大色黄女视频| 午夜福利一区二区三区在线观看| 蜜桃97爱成人| 国产在线播放网址| 欧美另类黑人巨大videos| 国产精品天干天干| 91热久久免费精品99| 夜夜揉揉日日人人视频| sss欧美华人整片在线观看| 性做久久久久久久久| 中文字幕在线观看2020| 日日夜夜综合网| 久久久久无码精品国产不卡| 日韩欧美中文字幕在线观看| 九九久久精品国产AV片国产| 欧洲肉欲K8播放毛片| 亚洲人成电影院| 欧美午夜理伦三级在线观看| 亚洲图片欧美小说| 欧美日韩亚洲中文字幕二区| 亚洲欧美日韩人成在线播放| 永久免费看mv网站入口| 亚洲精品午夜久久久伊人| 爱搞网在线观看| 亚洲黄色免费电影| 牛牛影院毛片大全免费看| 人与动人物欧美网站| 特级av毛片免费观看| 亚洲精品无码av人在线观看| 爱情岛在线视频免费观看网址|