Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics Reflects Trends of the Times

Liu Jianfei

Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics Reflects Trends of the Times

Liu Jianfei

As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs in 2014, China should “conduct diplomacy with a salient Chinese feature and a Chinese vision.”1“The Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs was Held in Beijing,” November 29, 2014, http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/t1215680.shtml.This means that the “Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics” has officially become the new orientation of China’s diplomacy. The “Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics” mentioned here does not refer to the strategy and policy China takes toward other major countries in its diplomatic layout, nor does it signify the strategic “great games” among major powers. Rather, the term refers to the conduct of Chinese diplomacy as a major country. Compared with traditional major-country diplomacy, the “Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics” is a bright beacon of our contemporary era. Taking the long view with regard to the destiny of man, and conforming to the demands of our time, China holds high the banner of peace, development, cooperation and win-win outcome, combining the fundamental interests of the Chinese people with those of the people of the world, building a new pattern of international relations in order to create a community of common destiny, and striving to achieve a win-win result for China and the rest of the world.

Inheritance of China’s Evolving Diplomatic Style

Although the concept of “Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics” is relatively new, its practice is not a phenomenon of the last few years. It appeared quite early, and has undergone a rather circuitous process in its evolution.

Since ancient times, China has been a major power in terms of population, territory, economy and culture, at some time also in military and politics. Even when bullied in modern times by the Western powers, China remained a big country with a large population and a vast territory.

Major-country diplomacy came naturally with the status of a large country. The tributary system was the prominent feature of the ancient China’s major-country diplomacy. Emperor Qianlong’s refusal to trade with the British, while admittedly revealing his arrogance, and narrowmindedness, reflected his sense of China’s standing as a major power. In 1863, at the time when the Qing Dynasty had been twice defeated by the Western powers, Emperor Tongzhi, in a letter to the US President Lincoln, said “I hold the mandate of Heaven, I reign over the kingdom and view foreign lands as members of the same family, each one not different from us.”2Quoted from Henry Kissinger, On China, translated into Chinese by Hu Liping, et al., CITIC Press, 2012, p.7.In the war of aggression waged by the Eight-Nation Alliance, China had to deal with eight Western powers alone. Though it suffered total defeat, the Qing Dynasty, even at the end of its rope, still did not regard the China it ruled as an ordinary country. The First World War destroyed several big empires, as Austro-Hungarian and the Ottoman Empires simply disintegrated and ceased to exist as major powers. China, however, continued to pursue its reunification, and therefore its natural endowment as a major power was preserved. The Paris Peace Conference failed to render to China the due treatment as a victor of the war, and triggered the “May Fourth Movement,” which clearly reflected the continued sense among the Chinesepeople that China was a major power.

Nor has the Communist Party of China, which was responsible for national liberation and revival, ever considered China as an ordinary nation. As Mao Zedong said, “We Chinese have the spirit and will to fight the enemy till the last drop of our blood, the resolve and determination to recover what has been lost to invaders, and the capability to stand proudly among other nations of the world.”3Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Vol.1, People’s Press, 1991, p.161.It is precisely because of this understanding that China has always had the “style” of a major country in its diplomatic practice.

Generally speaking, since 1949, China’s major-country diplomacy has gone through the following three stages:

The first stage was from 1949 to 1979 when China was a major country not only in terms of its population and geography but also in political terms. China’s “l(fā)eaning to one side” strategy and its alignment with the socialist camp greatly changed the balance of power between the two confrontational camps in the Cold War. China sending troops to Korea and fighting a war directly with the United States, the most powerful country in the world, also reflected a “major-country bold vision” of the Chinese leaders. Its subsequent energetic efforts in building a “triangular relationship” among the United States, the Soviet Union and China, and dividing the globe into“three worlds,” and particularly in freely providing assistance and aid to many developing countries, were all reflection of its major-country diplomacy.

Generally speaking, China’s major-country diplomacy in this phase was based on its political position, focusing primarily on consolidating the new-born socialist system and regime and safeguarding its national security. However, because of China’s limited overall strength, the effect of its diplomacy was also relatively limited. Although holding an important place in the international landscape as one of the “five power centers” and one of the “angles” in the “big triangle,” China’s influence on the world stage was not prominent enough. Sometimes, it could not do more than preserveits core interests. In particular, China made many mistakes when it was influenced by Leftist thinking.

To sum up, although China’s strategy underwent several major adjustments, and in the international arena its friends and enemies often shifted, because of changes in the international situation and particularly in its judgment regarding the major threats to national security, one thing was clear: China held high the banner of peace, and preserving world peace was among the goals of its diplomacy. All the strategies, whether it was “l(fā)eaning to one side,” “holding one line,” the “three worlds,” or particularly the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, embodied China’s aspiration to maintain world peace.

The second phase lasted between 1979 and 2013 when China’s natural endowments of a large population and a vast territory was combined with its role as a major political power. China adjusted its foreign strategy, prioritized economic development as its primary domestic task, and sought to open up to the outside world and maintain friendly relations with the rest of the world in order to create a peaceful and stable external environment. Therefore, at this stage of development China maintained a low profile in its diplomacy, underlining its status as “the largest developing country” rather than a “major country.” And yet, China never stopped thinking itself as a major country and therefore remained the silhouette of a major power. As Deng Xiaoping stressed, “In the so-called multipolar world, China is anyway one of the poles. We should not look down upon ourselves.”4Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, Vol.3, People’s Press, 1993, p.353.

In general, China’s major-country diplomacy in this period was based on the premise of “maintaining a low profile.” It focused on creating a favorable external environment for reform, opening up and the modernization drive, and at the same time making a greater contribution to the world. Aside from holding high the banner of peace, China has also started to prioritize development. It attached great importance to common development of the world, and combined its development with that of the rest of the world. In the 21st century, as the global governanceproblems, especially non-traditional security issues, become more and more prominent, it has become the aspiration of most countries in the world to strengthen international cooperation. China not only held high the banner of cooperation, but also stressed win-win outcomes and desires to realize that result with the rest of the world.

The third phase began in 2013. The global financial crisis had inflicted heavy losses on the developed countries in the West. The emerging countries were rising as a distinct group. China’s rise, as the representative of these emerging countries, attracted international attention. With the growth of its comprehensive strength, China’s international status had grown, and many countries in the world expected it to play the role of a “major country” and assume the corresponding responsibilities. At the same time, China was increasingly faced with the protruding problems and challenges of a major country. In order to meet the needs of its own development, and stay consistent with the need for maintaining world peace and promoting common development, China had to achieve even more in its diplomacy and therefore had to develop further its “major-country diplomacy.” After the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the leadership’s“striving to do more” in foreign affairs has gained world attention, although China continues to adhere to the spirit of “maintaining a low profile.”

The need to meet its own internal demands as well as the expectations of the world has created the ideal conditions for the emergence of the concept of “Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics,”making China’s major-country diplomatic efforts, which had long been a reality, an official policy. Of course, the new concept is not simply about recognizing China’s status in major-country diplomacy. It is of great practical significance, which can be seen at least in the following three aspects. First, it matches China’s international standing, and makes the feature of China’s major-country diplomacy more prominent. From the United Nations to the G20, from the BRICS to the Belt and Road Initiative, from the stability of global economy to the security of various international areas, China has played a role that cannot be replaced by any ordinary country or evena regional power.

The new concept reflects the reality of China as a major country. Second, as China increasingly adopts the major-country diplomacy, its Chinese characteristics become ever more distinct. Before the reform and opening up, China’s diplomacy remained some characteristics of traditional major-country diplomacy, such as forming alliances. However, since China established its comprehensive peaceful foreign policy, the characteristics of its diplomacy has increasingly differed from those of traditional major-country diplomacy. However, since China’s comprehensive strength is relatively limited and its status as a major country is not so prominent, the Chinese characteristics in this stage are not sufficiently felt. The clear assertion of the concept of “Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics” will allow the Chinese characteristics, the Chinese style and the Chinese spirit of its diplomacy to fully express themselves. Third, the new concept is more about focusing on the future, and drawing a blueprint for China’s diplomacy in accordance with new situation in the world and its own new status.

Following the Trend of Times

What is the ultimate difference between China’s major-country diplomacy and traditional major-country diplomacy? Where precisely do the Chinese characteristics lie? This has now become a matter of interest for the world. Some scholars believe that the distinctive characteristics of China’s majorcountry diplomacy are of a fourfold nature: namely, practical, theoretical, national, and in line with the times.5Chen Xulong, “Analysis on the Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics from Four Dimensions,” in Su Ge, Evolving International Order and Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics, World Affairs Press, 2016, pp.249-274.Among these four characteristics, being consistent with the times is the most fundamental and distinctive. To a certain extent, the diplomacy of all major countries have their own practical, theoretical, national characteristics and keep pace with the times. However, in the case of China’s diplomacy, consistency with the times is extremely prominent. One could well say that following the trends of the times is themost distinctive feature of China’s major-country diplomacy and is where China’s diplomacy goes beyond that of other great powers.

Following the current of the times is the most distinctive feature of China’s majorcountry diplomacy and is where China’s diplomacy goes beyond that of other great powers.

A country’s diplomacy must, first and foremost, serve its own interests. And China is no exception. But in history, the Western powers pursued their own interests at the expense of other countries and even the interests of the world as a whole. In contrast, the most distinctive feature of China’s major-country diplomacy is to contribute to upholding world peace, promoting common development, enhancing international cooperation and achieving mutual benefit and win-win outcomes while resolutely safeguarding its core interests of national independence, sovereignty and security. China holds high the banner of peace, development, cooperation and win-win outcomes in its diplomacy since it not only meets the demands by the Chinese people to safeguard China’s fundamental interests but also corresponds to the evolving trend of the times.

Pursuing world peace.After the end of World War II, in the face of the horrible prospects of a nuclear war and the catastrophe caused by the two world wars, people around the world longed for peace. Responsible politicians were also assessing the lessons of the two world wars and considering how to avoid another world war. The pursuit of peace became the trend of the times. China, as a great civilization with thousands of years of history, has been greatly influenced by the culture of harmony. After a hundred years of arduous struggle against colonialism and imperialism, and winning its independence, China places a high value on peace. In particular, the Communist Party of China, which accepted the guidance of advanced Marxist theory and is committed to the socialist road of development, took upon itself the responsibility to safeguard world peace.

However, the peace pursued by the New China was based firmly on the preservation of its independence, and not the kind of peace in former dayswhen the vast majority of colonial and semi-colonial nations did not enjoy full national sovereignty. Their “peaceful relations” with the suzerain states were unequal, humiliating, and therefore unsustainable. Therefore, the New China, after winning its independence, adopted the strategies of “making a fresh start” and “tidying up before inviting guests” in their dealings with foreign powers in order to establish equal relations with other countries of the world on the basis of independence and achieve peaceful coexistence.

Then the New China continued to sum up the lessons learned and explored a more effective way to maintain world peace. China’s diplomacy embodies the purpose of safeguarding world peace from its advocacy of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence to its resolute opposition to hegemonism and pursuit of non-alignment. It is important to emphasize the non-alignment policy. In previous times, the chief means of safeguarding a country’s security was to align itself with other countries. Some great powers pursued the alliance policy under the pretext of safeguarding world peace. However, the alliance often led to confrontation.

Allies stood together to fight against a common enemy.

History has shown that alliances have led to confrontation between two groups of nations, and ultimately to a hot war or a cold war. In the 1980s, with the advancement of reform and opening up, and a growing recognition that peace and development were themes of the era, Deng Xiaoping, having learned the lessons from the experience of China’s evolving diplomacy from “l(fā)eaning to one side” to “holding one-line,” put forward the comprehensive peaceful diplomacy featuring non-alignment. At the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs in 2014, Xi Jinping proposed that China should“make more friends while abiding by the principle of non-alignment and build a global network of partnerships.”6“The Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs was Held in Beijing.”That represented a further enrichment and development of the non-alignment concept.

Promoting common development.Rising national liberation movements after the end of the World War II enabled a large number ofcolonial and semi-colonial countries in Asia and Africa to win national independence. This major event in the history of the world greatly changed the global political landscape. However, these newly independent countries have faced serious problems of development. Many countries, despite their political independence and their seeming status as sovereign states, found themselves more and more dependent on developed countries as a result of their unsuccessful economic performance, leading often to inability to avoid political interference and restrictions on their independence. At the same time, some countries, because of their poor and backward conditions, suffered political instability and strife, leading often to civil wars. Some of the civil strife and civil wars spread to other countries or were intervened upon by other nations, which sometimes developed into a larger war.

Many leaders of vision realized that a lasting peace could not be guaranteed without addressing development issues. Whether it was a matter of achieving economic independence and the growth of developing countries, or considered from the perspective of safeguarding world peace, it was of great global and strategic significance to address development issues and promote common development globally. Development along with peace has become another major trend of the world today.

Since its founding, the New China has been committed to exploring a development path fit for its own national conditions. At the same time, it followed with great interest the common development of the world, particularly the approach to economic independence for developing countries after their political independence. From the concept of building a new international economic order proposed by Deng Xiaoping at the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1974, to the emphasis that the North-South relations were the more fundamental in the configuration of East-West and North-South relations, China’s diplomacy reflected the great importance that its leaders attached to development.

After the end of the Cold War, the previously fractured world market was again unified, and the process of economic globalization accelerated.

However, economic globalization was a double-edged sword for the vastnumber of developing countries. On the one hand, globalization could provide them with capital and technology and other flows which could speed up their development, but, on the other hand, it can also place them in a more disadvantaged and marginalized position in the international economic competition, distancing them even more from developed countries.

China, as a developing country, shared a common destiny with them, and therefore paid more attention to the problems of development in international affairs. China not only attached importance to strengthening relations with developing countries, as it always had, making it the basis of its diplomatic strategy, but also stood out to speak for developing countries in the multilateral arena, advancing the international order in favor of the developing countries.

One such example was the reform of the United Nations. 2005 was the year of UN reform and forces of the international community were jockeying with each other over the “outcome document” of the UN and UN Security Council reforms. In the process, China from beginning to end stood together with developing countries and emphasized development. The Chinese government advocated that the reform should focus on making the United Nations increase investment in the field of development; when it came to the UN Security Council reform, China stressed the need to give priority to increasing the representation of developing countries; and the Chinese government also took the lead in offering a series of major measures to aid and support other developing countries in order to accelerate the development, proposing debt moratoria and debt relief for the least developed countries.

After the international financial crisis, as the international political focus quickly shifted from the West to non-Western regions, China attached more importance to safeguarding the interests of the vast number of developing countries. At the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs in 2014, Xi Jinping stressed that when advancing multilateral diplomacy, China should “work to reform the international system and global governance, and increase the representation and say of China and other developing countries.”7“The Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs was Held in Beijing.”

Enhancing international cooperation.With peace and development becoming the theme of our times, more and more countries have made seeking development and promoting peace as their own major policy, and cooperation as the means for achieving that. In former times, the Western powers did cooperate in the issues of development and peace, but such cooperation was limited in scope. To enhance their own interests, they pursued a colonial policy and practiced great power politics, plundering the colonies, riding roughshod over the smaller states, and conducting a vicious competition among themselves. They also attempted through alliances and bloc confrontation to seek peace on their own terms. However, in the present era, this modus operandi has either lost its rationale entirely, or found its obvious limitations. The development called for in our times is one that is shared by the whole world, and the peace must be a lasting one. Such peace and development needs deep cooperation on a global scale. Therefore, cooperation is not only a means and a channel for achieving development and peace; it has itself become a trend, a value that should be pursued by every country.

Since its founding, the New China has been making great efforts to explore a path to world peace through international cooperation. In one sense, the strategy of “l(fā)eaning to one side” was also an effort to maintain world peace through cooperation with the socialist countries. Later, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence aimed at cooperation with the rest of the world in order to achieve “peaceful coexistence.” After entering the new era of reform and opening up, China has striven to promote cooperation in development with other countries around the world. In the 21st century, faced with more and more non-traditional security and global challenges such as terrorism, climate change, nuclear proliferation and financial crisis, China continues to hold aloft the banner of cooperation, and makes it, together with peace and development, the theme of its diplomacy.

Seeking mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.Since the inception of international relations, cooperation has accompanied conflict, becoming one of the main channels of communication between nations. However, in former days, conflict, not cooperation, was the dominant theme ofinternational relations. Cooperation was mostly reduced to facilitating conflicts of a larger scope, and sometimes even planted seeds for conflict. This was due, on one hand, to the fact that relations among countries at the time were characterized much more by brutal competition over territory, natural resources and wealth; and, on the other hand, to the shape of cooperation, which often benefited one party more than the other. Sometimes, only the strong gained. It was not a win-win outcome for both parties and not sustainable, even laden with future conflict. Therefore, in order to achieve enduring peace through cooperation and common development, we must also achieve win-win outcomes. That is a value that all humanity can pursue, and represents the trend of our times.

After entering the second decade of the 21st century, with the sudden rise of non-Western countries and the advancing multi-polarization, China’s international status has significantly improved. At the same time, China needs to strengthen international cooperation for the sake of its own economic development, reform and transformation. Realizing win-win outcomes with other nations is one of the major questions facing China. Together with peace, development and cooperation, achieving win-win outcomes has been added to the themes of China’s diplomacy, since reality demands it and it also corresponds to the trend of our times.

In short, the substance of China’s diplomacy is continually enriched and expanded. That reflects the consistent pursuit of China in its diplomacy, corresponds to the demands of the times, and is what most distinctly contrasts China’s major-country diplomacy with the diplomacy of great powers in the past. If China is opening up a new era of major-country diplomacy, then “following the trends of the times” is the most notable feature of the new maneuver.

Win-Win for China and the World

Diplomacy deals with a country’s external relations, but different countries have different diplomatic philosophies and approaches, which lead to differentoutcomes. In the past, the great powers, in pursuit of their own interests, sacrificed other countries and even the whole world’s interests, resulting in frequent wars and expanding for a long time poverty and backwardness in their colonies and semi-colonies. The New China has continually adhered to a policy of contributing to the world, as Mao Zedong once said, “China is obliged to make major contributions to humanity.”8Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Vol.7, People’s Press, 1999, p.157.In diplomacy, therefore, China has consistently called for combining each country’s interests with the interests of the world and is committed to achieving a win-win situation for China and the world. China’s diplomatic approaches conforming from the beginning to the demand of the times and is thus a reflection of win-win spirit. From the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence to the concept of building a harmonious world with lasting peace and common prosperity, from the opposition to hegemonism to its declaration of never pursuing hegemony, from the path of peaceful development to the concept of building a new type of international relations and a community of shared future, all show China’s pursuit of win-win with the world.

At present, “China has entered a crucial stage of achieving the great renewal of the Chinese nation. China’s relations with the rest of the world are going through profound changes; its interactions with the international community have become closer than ever before. China’s dependence on the world and its involvement in international affairs are deepening, so are the world’s dependence on China and its impact on China.”9“The Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs was Held in Beijing.”Under such circumstances, China’s diplomacy needs to uphold the concept of win-win cooperation with the world, using its own development to promote the world’s common development and vice versa, making its own contributions to preserve world peace which in turn shapes its external environment, and setting an example to enhance international cooperation which creates a friendly atmosphere for improving its own cooperation with other nations. Achieving win-win cooperation between China and the world is not only inevitable consequence of the current of the times, but is also the distinctivefeature of China’s major-country diplomacy.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, in order to adapt to the demands of China and the world for win-win cooperation, the Chinese leadership proposed two important concepts: a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation, and a community of shared future for mankind. The two concepts will become more and more important as the international community moves forward in line with the current of the times.

The basis of the new type of international relations is win-win cooperation. As Xi Jinping underscored, “We should continue to follow the win-win strategy of opening-up and a win-win approach in every aspect of our external relations such as political, economic, security and cultural fields.”10“The Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs was Held in Beijing.”The reason China wishes to make win-win cooperation the key concept in a new type of international relations is that it was largely defunct in the old type of international relations where the theme was competition. While many countries cooperated among themselves and some of the cooperation was broad-based and deep, compared to the competition, cooperation was subsidiary. The new type of international relations is thus designed to transform and substantially reshape the traditional type of international relations. Although there will still be competition among countries which could sometimes be very fierce, it is subsidiary compared with cooperation.

In addition, while there are broad common interests and an even greater prospects for cooperation in some countries, the cooperation is sometimes difficult to maintain, or the potential cannot be fully tapped. The main reason is that it has not been shaped toward a win-win result. One can well imagine that if only one party wins, or one party gains much more than the other, and the benefit is unbalanced, such cooperation cannot be sustained. Within the framework of the current international system and order, Western developed countries, with their advantages in technology, intellectualproperty and international discourse, get much more in their cooperation with developing countries, which is cooperation without win-win. This type of cooperation will be abandoned in the new type of international relations.

A community of shared future for mankind is the ideal pattern in the new type of international relations. The “new type” in the concept means that they are dynamic and different from the “old type” that it emerged from. In fact, the international relations are always evolving and being modernized. In the future, there will be another “new type” to replace the current one, and the new type of international relations China is advocating now would not be the pattern of international relations forever. So what purpose does this new type of international relations serve? According to the thinking by the Chinese leadership, its objective is to promote a community of shared future for mankind. The report of the 18th CPC National Congress noted that “We should raise awareness about human beings sharing a community of common destiny … Countries should establish a new type of global development partnership that is more equitable and balanced.”11Documents of the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, People’s Press, 2012, p.43.In his speech at Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2013, Xi Jinping stressed the idea of a community of shared future, while proposing for the first time the concept of a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation. He said, “The world has become interconnected and interdependent to an unprecedented degree. Living in the same global village and in the common time-space where the history and the reality intersect, we are increasingly forming a community of shared future.”12Xi Jinping, The Governance of China, Foreign Languages Press, 2014, p.272.On September 22, 2015, in an interview with theWall Street Journalupon his state visit to the United States, Xi said that “China stands ready to work with all the other UN member states to build a new type of international relationship with win-win cooperation at its core, improve the architecture of global governance and build a community of common destinyfor mankind.”13“Xi Jinping Gives Interview to the Wall Street Journal,” September 22, 2015, http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ mfa_eng/wjdt_665385/zyjh_665391/t1299819.shtml.Combining the new type of international relations and the community of shared future shows that the Chinese leadership believes that the two are closely intertwined. It can be said that building the former is oriented to the latter.

The community of shared future, while recognizing the diversity among sovereign countries, stresses the wholeness of mankind and organically combines differences and commonalities.

The community of shared future for mankind is an entirely new concept in international relations, different from the concept of “world government”or a “world republic” as described in cosmopolitanism or globalism. The community, while recognizing the diversity among sovereign countries, stresses the wholeness of mankind and organically combines differences and commonalities. First of all, it recognizes that there are differences between countries, peoples and cultures. Human beings are living in a world composed of diverse cultures, races, skin colors, religions and social systems, resulting in disagreement and conflict of interests and shaping competitive relations between countries. All the wars in the past 500 years can ultimately be traced back to such differences. But, today’s world compared to yesterday’s has experienced profound changes, as “people from various countries are interconnected and a community of shared destiny is formed.”14Xi Jinping, The Governance of China, p.261.This community is a collective body of people living under common conditions, embodying their wholeness and shared aspirations.

On one hand, the interdependence of countries in today’s world on issues like development and security is growing; on the other, “the challenges facing world peace and development are increasingly becoming cross-cutting, overarching and long-term. No country is immune and all must stand together to cope with challenges head on.”15Wang Yi, “Toward a New Type of International Relations of Win-Win Cooperation,” March 23, 2015, http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/t1248487.shtml.The community of shared futureis a one that comprises different countries and peoples on the basis of their common interests, common pursuits and common responsibilities.

To build the community of shared future is a strategy to coordinate domestic and international environments, combining the Chinese dream and the world dream, and achieving win-win outcomes for China and the world. It pushes forward efforts to realize the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. “For us Chinese, China will do well only when the world does well, and vice versa.”16Xi Jinping, “Work Together to Build a Community of Shared Future for Mankind,” January 18, 2017, http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/cegv/eng/zywjyjh/t1432250.htm.In today’s world, mankind is going through dramatic changes, with ever-increasing challenges and risks. The destiny of humankind is at a critical moment. To build a community of shared future is to provide Chinese solutions that will benefit all mankind in order to “pass on the torch of peace from generation to generation, sustain development and make civilization flourish.”17Ibid.

The community of shared future for mankind, as “a new global perspective,”18Qiu Gengtian, “Community of Shared Future for Mankind: A New Global Perspective,” Study Times, June 8, 2015, p.2.has attracted attention from and been welcomed by the international community. At the 55th session of the UN Commission for Social Development on February 11, 2017, the Chinese concept of building “a human community with shared destiny” was incorporated into a UN resolution for the first time. 46 members including China, the United States, Russia, France, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina all participated in the discussion of the resolution, which was passed even without a vote. The draft resolution was also supported by the Group of 77.19Gu Zhenqiu, “A Chinese Contribution to Build Community of Shared Destiny: Interview on UN Senior Official Philipp Charwath,” Cankao Xiaoxi, February 20, 2017, p.11.There are grounds to believe that the concept of community of shared future will become an important guide in building the new type of international relations and promoting win-win cooperation for China and the world.

Liu Jianfei is Deputy Director and Professor of the Institute for International Strategic Studies, Central Party School of the Communist Party of China.